A Star Among Darkness
by GamerFan369
Summary: 17 year old Dipper and Mabel Pines have come back to Gravity Falls for Summer. But in her Dreamscape, Mabel is being hunted by Shadows of the Underworld. The only one who can help her is the long thought dead Bill Cipher, yet his help comes with a price. Now they are on a journey to stop the Shadows and on the way, Mabel's star inside her might shine through the darkness in Bill.
1. Prologue

**Well, I have read so many Gravity Falls Fanfictions I thought it was about time I made one too. This is going to be MaBill story so anyone who isn't open to the idea or doesn't ship MaBill I suggest you leave now. Are all those people gone? Good. Now, sit back relax, and enjoy the prologue!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls. It is owned by Alex Hirsch and Disney.**

* * *

"Dipper! Hurry up! The bus is going to be here any minute!" Mabel Pines threw open the door to the house and ran outside. Waddles was beside her, trying his best to match her pace.

"I'm coming Mabel!" Dipper Pines grabbed his bag that was sitting by the door and followed Mabel out. The twins turned around right before they reached the sidewalk and shouted goodbye to their waving parents.

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad! See you in the Fall!" Mabel readjusted her bag and began to run again, Waddles following.

"Bye Dad! Bye Mom!" Dipper turned around and caught up to Mabel. They looked at each other and grinned. Although they were now seventeen, they hadn't changed much since they were twelve.

Dipper still wore the same orange t-shirt, blue vest, and brown shorts. He also had his signature pine tree hat. Every year Wendy and he would switch hats and this year the pine tree was his. For his physical appearance, he had grown more (and was now the alpha twin) but that was about it.

Mabel still wore her sweaters and skirts. And since it was her tradition to wear her shooting star sweater the first day back to Gravity Falls that was the one she wore. She had grown taller and her hair was a tad longer but like Dipper, she hadn't changed much.

The twins stopped to catch their breath when they reached the bus stop.

"Well," Dipper said," at… at least we didn't miss… didn't miss the bus." He put his hands on his knees to try to better help regain his breath.

Mabel sat down on a nearby bench. "Yeah… at least we didn't- It's here!" She jumped up and scooped Waddles into her arms. She ran to the very edge of the sidewalk and was eagerly bouncing on her feet. Dipper groaned and trudged his way over to Mabel, not the least bit surprised that her energy had already returned.

When the bus came rolling to a stop, the sign changed from saying Piedmont, California to Gravity Falls, Oregon. The twins each had a similar grin on their face. When the door flew open, they raced onto the bus, the driver not even glancing at the pig. He would have if it was anyone other person but he didn't want to get punched or vaporized to death anytime soon.

Dipper and Mabel plopped down onto the back seat, both of them putting their bags on the seat in front of them. Nobody else was on the bus so they didn't have to worry about people sitting there. Mabel's smile grew when Waddles sat down next to her.

Then they both looked out the window at the road ahead of them. Dipper and Mabel were waiting for something. Waiting for the thing that would truly bring them back home.

The bus doors closed.

Then the words they have been waiting nine months to hear were spoken.

"Next stop Gravity Falls, Oregon."

They were heading back where they belonged. They were going home.

* * *

Soos whistled to himself as he fixed the light bulb in the kitchen of the Mystery Shack. He wanted to make sure everything was working when Dipper, Mabel, Mr. Pines, and Stanford got back. The younger set of twins and the older ones usually got back on different days, but somehow they had all been able to come back to Gravity Falls around the same time. Stanford and Mr. Pines would get back first and Dipper and Mabel would come soon after.

"There we go," Soos said placing his screwdriver down, "all done." Just to make sure, he pulled out his list of things to do.

"Clean the shop, check. Fix the light bulbs, check. Make sure lab is ready for Ford's return, not check. Fix the ice mach- Wait!" Soos's eyes flicked back to the words above. "Not check?! How could I have forgotten to do that? Ford told me specifically to make sure everything was in order!"

Soos's checked the time and realized that Ford and Mr. Pines would be back in less than an hour. He had to work fast!

"Oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no…" He kept mumbling those words as he ran to the vending machine. He screeched to a halt and quickly entered the pass code.

When the secret door unlocked, he threw it open and began pounding his way down the stairs. "Ford's going to kill me if he found out I didn't do what he asked!" Soos jammed his finger to the elevator button and began moaning when it seemed the doors wouldn't open fast enough.

After what felt like an eternity for Soos, they finally did. He basically fell in but quickly regained his posture. He clicked the button labeled three and tapped his foot as the elevator began its slow descent.

When the doors opened again, he rushed out. Soos frantically looked around the lab to see if anything was out of place. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that nothing was.

"Well," Soos said, leaning against one of the counter tops "looks like I was worried about nothing." However, he let out a cry of shock when his hand slipped and he pressed something.

Soos looked in awe at the sight that appeared. The desk he was leaning on split into two and began to open. It revealed two buttons, one blinking green and the other blinking red. Although it wasn't a lot, Soos thought it was pretty darn cool to see.

Soos put a hand to his chin and thought. "Now let's see. In the movies, the hero would usually push one of the buttons to see what happens. And since red usually means bad, I'm going to go with the green." He pushed the green button down and Soos heard a rumbling from behind him.

He twisted around and saw a door opening up that wasn't there before. He slowly walked up to it and peeked inside.

The room was small and could probably only hold seven people at the most. The walls were grey and there was a light bulb swinging from the ceiling. The main focus of the room however, was a round, wood table, for on it was a small canister.

Soos walked up to it wondering what it was. It looked like something he had seen before but he couldn't remember where. He picked it up and gave it a light shake. He frowned when he heard no noise. It was just an empty canister.

"Now, why would Ford hide a canister that held nothing inside it? Hmmm…" Soos put his hand on top and was about to see if it opened when he heard a shout.

"Soos! You better hurry. Your friends will be here soon!"

The man himself dropped the canister in surprise when he heard his grandma calling him. He cringed when he heard a small crack. In a panic, Soos grabbed the canister and began to inspect it. A small crack had formed near the top of it but beside that, it seemed okay.

"Phew. If that would have broken who knows what could have happened." He placed the canister back on the table, and then turned it so that the crack was facing the wall across from the door. Soos smiled in satisfaction. "Coming Abuelita!" Then he ran out of the room, the door closing back into the wall behind him.

* * *

Back in the hidden room, a quiet laugh could be heard. Then…

"I'm free. I'm finally free!"

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading this chapter. If anyone wants to know my theory behind this chapter, don't be shy! Leave a review asking and I will be happy to share it! Also, if you have any criticism or things you think I should improve on, I will be happy to hear it too! I hope you all enjoyed and please R &R, follow, and favorite. It would mean so much to me. I'm hoping to have the next chapter out in about a week (maybe sooner) so stay tuned. Until then…**

 **Peace!** ** _GamerFan369_**


	2. Hunted

**I see a lot of people liked the prologue! Thanks for the reviews! This chapter, like the last one, is going to only be 1,000 to 2,000 words. The chapters will start getting longer though around chapter 3 or 4. Now for the reviews.**

 ** _Guest_** **: You will have to wait and see what happens.**

 ** _Dark Rebel_** **: Yes, this is exactly why we don't let Soos into labs!**

 ** _Bloodstone38_** **: I don't know.** ** _Was_** **it Bill?**

 ** _aerizel_** **:** **Thanks and I hope you like where the plot is going to go. As for my theory, I am going to explain it in the next chapter. The only reason I'm going to wait a chapter is because it will work better with the plot. So hold on!**

 **Thanks for reviewing all you amazing people! Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls. This amazing show belongs to Alex Hirsch and Disney.**

* * *

"Then they found a digpher, it's like a gopher but a lot more dangerous, that was digging down to the Earth's core! Mabel, the Earth's core! Can you believe that?! So Grunkle Stan went up and-"

"Dipper," Mabel groaned placing a pillow over her ears, "can you please stop talking nerd and go to sleep?"

Night had fallen upon Gravity Falls and the Pines twins had finally gotten into bed. It had been a long day of stiff bus seats and lots of hugging. The twins couldn't complain about the last part though. It was great to see everyone again and they spent a good four hours explaining what has been happening in their lives.

Dipper and Mabel had nothing new to report. Besides school and Mabel's failed love attempts, everything was the same for both of them.

Wendy had just finished college with a bachelor's degree so she was happy to finally be done with school.

There was exciting news for Soos. He recently proposed to Melody and they were now engaged. They all gave their congratulations and Soos couldn't keep the blush from forming on his face.

The two people who probably had the most news though were Stanford and Stanley. They had spent the past nine months in a jungle in South America. They had been hunting down the paranormal and now Dipper couldn't stop talking about it, which was starting to annoy Mabel.

"Come on Mabel, how can you _not_ be interested?!"

"It's not that it's not interesting Dipper. I'm just tired and I want to sleep. _You_ should be going to sleep too!"

Dipper gave a small chuckle. "Okay, I'll stop talking now." He let out a yawn. "It looks like I'm a bit tired also." He slipped off his vest and placed his hat down on the nightstand. He fell onto the bed and immediately closed his eyes. "Night Mabel."

"Night Dip."

There was no reply. Mabel removed the pillow from her ears and placed it under her head. She looked up at the ceiling and smiled. "I'm back Gravity Falls," Mabel whispered, "I'm back." Then she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Mabel's eyes flew open.

She frantically looked around. Something was wrong with her dream. Usually her dreams were full of bright colors and rainbows. Everything around her was black, white, or grey. The colors looked familiar but she couldn't remember where she had last seen them. Another thing was that it felt too real. It felt like she was actually there, not like it usually felt for her in a dream.

A gust of wind blew by and she shivered. That was also something new. She rubbed her arms to try to regain some warmth.

 _Okay,_ Mabel thought, _no need to panic, this is just a dream. I can just pinch myself and I'll wake up._ She took her left thumb and forefinger and gave her right arm a pinch. Nothing happened. She frowned and tried again, pinching a little harder. Again, nothing happened. She tried one more time, so hard that she let out a small squeal. Still nothing.

Mabel swallowed the lump in her throat. "O-okay," she began stuttering out loud, "there-there is no need t-to panic."

Her whole body froze when she saw something fly by her, causing her tangled brown hair to fly wildly behind her. She turned around and saw what looked like a big, wispy, black blob a couple feet away from her.

 _Maybe it's nice_ Mabel thought hesitantly.

Then the strangest thing happened. The blob began to spin and spin until it took on an almost human like form. It's whole entire body was still black and wispy and that included the hair flowing down it's back, but where the eyes should have been, there were purple holes which seemed to go on forever. The shadow seemed to smile, it's mouth also being the same color purple as its eyes. Then it flew over to a nearby tree and began to engulf it.

Mabel watched in horror. When the shadow spun back to its "human" form, the tree that it engulfed was gone, vaporized out of existence. Mabel's gaze went back to the shadow. It still had that creepy smile on its face. Then it spoke.

" _Not so nice am I now Ms. Pines._ "

Mabel let out a terrified scream and ran. The shadow gave a laugh and flew after her.

Mabel covered her face as she ran through the woods, trying to keep the branches from hitting her. She couldn't protect the lower part of her body however so her purple nightgown was ripping and she was getting scratches all over. She knew that she had to find a way out of this place if she wanted a chance to survive. As if the woods could read her thoughts, Mabel looked up and saw what looked like the exit.

She gave a smile of relief and sprinted the last couple of yards. However, right at the exit, Mabel's foot got caught on a root, she tripped, and then tumbled down a hill that was located right outside the woods. She kept rolling and rolling. Dirt came out of the ground and got stuck on her nightgown and in her hair, probably due to all the sweat.

When she finally came to a stop, she shakily got up and shook her head to get rid of the dizziness. She looked at her surroundings, hoping to find a place to hide. Her heart froze. She was surrounded by at least three dozen of the strange shadow creatures all in their "human" forms. The only difference was that some of them had long hair while others hair was short. Mabel deduced that the ones with short hair were boys and the ones with long hair were girls.

The one that was chasing her (at least, she guessed it was) stepped forward.

" _Well Mable Pines,_ " it sneered, " _looks like this is the end of the line for you_."

Mabel fell back to the ground in fear, getting even more dirt on her nightgown. "What- w-what are you going to- g-going to do to m-me?"

The shadow gave a sickly sweet smile. " _It's quite simple Mabel Pines. We are going to kill you._ " It pointed a wispy finger in her direction and shouted to its fellow shadows.

" _Kill her!_ "

They all sped forward. Mabel cried out and began to crawl backwards. The shadows were going to be on her in seconds in she knew it. She had to get out of here, yet she knew it would be impossible.

 _I have to get out of here,_ she thought in a panic. _I have to get out of here, I have to get out of here, I have to get out of here!_

Her hand moved backwards and all it met was air. She looked back and saw that she was on the edge of a cliff that wasn't there before. Her breathing hitched and she was about to crawl away from the edge when the ground around her began crack and crumble. She looked down in shock and back up at the shadows approaching.

Right when they were about to pounce on her, the ground from underneath her disappeared and she fell. She was engulfed by the fog below and all the shadows could hear was her scream.

" _No_ ," the leader, the one chasing Mabel, screamed, " _No! No! No! NO!_ " She, the leader being a girl, grabbed the shadow nearest to her in a choke hold. " _Next time, you don't hesitate! The second you see her, you kill her!_ " She dropped the shadow and turned to the rest of them. " _Is that clear?!"_

The shadows surrounding her nodded. She took a deep breath in then growled. " _Good. Now, let's plan our next attack for tomorrow shall we?_ " She went to an open area in front of her and whipped her hand down. A purple and black rip appeared in the area she slashed and all the shadows flew into it. When they were gone, the rip closed.

* * *

A shape came floating out from the woods that Mabel had first appeared it. He had seen the whole scene go down and heard what the shadows were doing next.

"Well, well, well. It seems like Shooting Star could use some help." If he had mouth, he would be smiling. "Looks like its time her and I finally made a deal."

* * *

Mabel screamed and looked down below her. Her hair was flying everywhere and her nightgown was twisted every which way. At least the dirt was flying off her though. Once the fog had engulfed her, everything turned black. However, she could still see the outline of ground which also meant impending doom for Mabel.

She shut her eyes and stiffened her body for the impact that was coming.

Mabel woke up.

She sat up in the blink of an eye and began to take deep breaths. Her hair was a mess and the covers were tangled up around her. Mabel could also feel sweat running down her face. She continued breathing until she calmed down. She rubbed her eyes until the sleepiness was gone.

She sighed in relief. She wasn't in some crazy black and white world. She was in the Mystery Shack in Gravity Falls, Roadkill County, Oregon. She was in the attic, in her own bed. She was home, nowhere else.

Mabel looked out the window. It was a little after dawn, maybe around seven. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Okay Mabel, relax. It was just a dream, it was just a dream, it was just a dream…" She trailed off though because the truth was, she wasn't sure it was a dream after all.

She was being hunted.

Some _thing_ wanted her dead.

And they weren't going to stop until she was.

* * *

 **Dun, dun, DUN! Sorry, I felt the need to do that. I had nothing to do today so I was able to finish this chapter quicker than I thought. That also means that I can upload faster! Everyone wins! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please remember to R &R, follow, and favorite. If you have any criticism or things you think I could improve on, don't be afraid to say it. I want you guys to enjoy reading my stories! Also, in a couple of chapters I am going to start asking for some suggestions. I will get more into that later but if you have any ideas, feel free to tell me when the time comes.**

 **Another thing, I feel like I may be rushing these chapters a bit. If I am, can you please tell me so that I can slow down for you guys.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope you will read the next one. Until then…**

 **Peace!** ** _GamerFan369_**


	3. Enter Bill Cipher

**Yeah! Finally a chapter longer than 2,000 words! I am so excited to write this chapter. We are actually getting in to some interesting stuff! Unless you found the last two chapters really interesting. Tell me in a review if you found the past chapters interesting, I'm not exactly sure since these past two chapters were basically meant to set up the plot. Anyways, now the reviews...**

 ** _iGogoTomago64_** **: You'll have to read and find out what happens!**

 ** _bloodstone38_** **: I don't know.** ** _Will_** **Bill be in this chapter?**

 ** _Guest_** **: I'm glad you thought my story started off well. As for your question, Bill will mostly be in his human form BUT his triangle form will not be forgotten! I hate it when writers forget he has a triangle form but I promise you that there will be points in the story where Bill is a triangle. He is, after all, our Dorito Overlord and last time a checked, Doritos were triangle shaped.**

 **Saphirabrightscale: I'm glad you like it!  
**  
 **Thank you all you amazing people for reviewing. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gravity Falls. It is owned by the wonderful Alex Hirsch and Disney.**

* * *

Mabel untangled the sheets from her body and shakily got out of bed. She looked over and saw that Dipper was still asleep so she made her way to the door as quietly as possible.

She opened it inched by inch and cringed when it made a screech. She stayed silent for a moment, listening for a noise.

Besides a tiny moan, Dipper didn't seem to have woken up.

Mabel let out a sigh of relief and slipped out the room. She tiptoed to the bathroom that was right across the hall. She tapped her knuckles against the door to see if anyone was in there. She didn't hear a reply so she opened the door and flipped the light switch.

Mabel covered her eyes from the bright light and blindly reached behind her for the doorknob. When her hand grabbed it, she pushed the door shut. Mabel rubbed her eyes and opened them again, now adjusted to the light.

She walked over to the mirror and frowned at what she saw. Her whole body, including her face, was covered in bright red scratches, some even bleeding a little. Her hair and nightgown were covered in dirt and sweat. She lifted an arm to smell her armpit and reeled back in disgust. She smelled as though she just ran thirty miles then jumped into a dumpster. She needed to take a shower immediately.

She turned to the tub and twisted the faucet labeled hot. Water shot out from the shower head and Mabel sighed in relief as the steam hit her. It felt so good on her skin.

She closed the curtain around the tub so that water wouldn't get on the floor and then turned to open the closet that contained the towels. She opened the closet door, grabbed a fluffy white towel, and then closed it again. Mabel placed the towel of the floor beside the tub and started to take off her nightgown.

Once she took off her clothes, including her underwear, she threw them into the hamper nearby and stepped into the shower.

She let out a small moan when the water hit her skin and stood there for a couple of minutes, just enjoying the relief the water brought. Mabel never knew water could feel so good. Then she got down to business.

Mabel grabbed the nearby bar of soap and began to scrub herself. She made sure that not a single place on her body would be covered in filth and grime when she was done. The dirt that was covering her body fell into the water and turned it a brownish-black. The scratches did sting in the process, but she didn't mind too much.

When her body was scrubbed and dirt free, Mabel moved onto her hair. She quickly grabbed the bottle of shampoo and squirted a glob of it onto her right hand. She plopped it onto her head and began to scrub ferociously. The dirt had turned muddy and was starting to stream down her back so she knew she was going to have to wash her body again.

She scrubbed her head till it felt like there was nothing in it and then she moved onto the conditioner. Mabel again squirted a large glob onto her right hand and began to scrub her head. She did this for about three minutes until her hair felt squeaky clean. She sighed and washed her body with soap one more time and finally all traces of dirt were gone.

She turned off the water and pulled the plug so that the muddy water would drain. Mabel stepped out of the tub and dried herself with the towel.

She was about to grab her clothes to put on when she realized that she never grabbed any. "Really," she mumbled to herself. She wrapped the towel around her, opened the bathroom door, and tiptoed her way back to Dipper and hers bedroom.

When she got in, Dipper was already up and getting dressed.

Dipper turned to say something, but saw that his sister only had on a towel. A blush formed on his face and Mabel had one appearing on her face also.

Dipper gave a shaky laugh. "Ummmmm..." he slipped on his vest, "I'll be out in the hallway." He diverted his gaze so he wouldn't meet Mabel's eyes and sped out of the room.

When he got into the hallway Mabel slammed the door shut. Although Dipper and her were siblings, they still didn't like being naked in front of each other! Even if she did have a towel on! She grumbled nonsense under her breath while she grabbed her blue sweater with the lighter blue stars and a black skirt. As she was putting them on, she decided to ask Dipper about the creatures that she saw in her dream, or not dream. She still wasn't quite sure if what she saw as real or not, but judging by the dirt and scratches that were on her body when she woke up, she was leaning towards real.

"So Dipper?"

"Yeah Mabel?"

"Um, I was wondering … Did any of the journals ever mention anything about shadow creatures that appear in people's dream?" Since Bill had burned the first three journals, Dipper and Great Uncle Ford had been working on creating new ones. They were working on number five right now.

Dipper leaned against the door and put a hand to his chin in thought. "Shadowy creature, shadowy creatures... Nope, I don't think Great Uncle Ford, you or I have ever run into shadowy creatures. Or if Ford has, he didn't tell me which is unlikely but…" Dipper trailed off for a moment. Then he shook his head bringing him back to the question at hand. "Why do you ask?"

Mabel swallowed. "N-no reason. Just my silly imagination." A nervous laugh escaped her throat. Then she pulled her sweater over her head, put on her skirt, and slipped on her shoes.

Now being dressed, Mabel threw the bedroom door open and Dipper fell in. Mabel let out a whole hearted laugh, the first all day. Dipper joined in and in seconds they were a pair of laughing idiots. The loud laughing caused Waddles to wake up and trot over to Mabel. She smiled and picked the pig up. Once she calmed down, she was finally able to speak. "Come on Dipper! I bet Grunkle Stan has breakfast read-"

"Kids! It's time for breakfast! I made Stancakes!" A giant grin broke out on the Pines twins face when they heard their Grunkle's gruff voice.

Mabel looked down at Dipper. "Race you to the kitchen!" She jumped over her brother and ran out the door, Waddles clinging to her arm for dear life.

"What?! Mabel, you got a head start!" Dipper quickly stood up and scampered after Mabel.

* * *

The rest of the day went by smoothly for the Pines twins. Mabel and Dipper helped Soos around the shack, they had an epic water balloon fight, and they may or may not have almost burned down the whole forest!

It was a bad idea for Grunkle Stan to buy that flamethrower. It was an even worse idea to leave it where Mabel could easily find it.

All in all, Mabel had forgotten about the shadowy creatures and was having an amazing day of Summer.

At least until it was time to go to sleep.

"Come on Mabel, I think you've brushed your teeth well enough." Dipper and Mabel were in the bathroom brushing their teeth. Dipper had finished five minutes ago but Mabel was still going.

"Bot Dibbeg," she spit the toothpaste out of her mouth and tried again. "But Dipper, unlike you, I have braces and having braces means I have to brush my teeth very well and take longer."

"Yeah, but you usually don't take eight minutes! In fact, you've been taking a lot longer to do everything tonight!"

Mabel knew he was right. She'd been taking triple the amount of time to do everything, from eating to picking out what nightgown to wear and now brushing her teeth.

She didn't want to go to sleep, afraid that the shadowy creatures _were_ real and _were_ going to kill her. A normal person would have just dismissed it as their crazy imagination during the dream, but from all Mabel has seen, she knew that it was entirely possible that the dream was real. And unless she somehow began sleep walking again (something she hasn't done since she was a child), there was no other explanation for the scratches and dirt that were on her this morning.

Also, Mabel may have been able to hide the scratches from her family, but how on Earth would she be able to explain her mysteriously dying in the middle of the night?! Answer, she couldn't! She would be dead!

Of course, she didn't voice any of this to Dipper. She simply shrugged her shoulders and put the toothbrush back in her mouth.

Her brother sighed and walked to the door, opening it a tad. He decided to take on a different approach. "I'll be in bed. If you aren't there in five minutes I _will_ tell Grunkle Stan that you have been wondering about how a woman's body worked." He smirked at Mabel's scared expression then ran out the door. She shivered at the memory of her Grunkle teaching her how a boy's body worked back when she was twelve. She did _not_ want to go through that again!

She quickly spit out the rest of the toothpaste then bolted out of the bathroom.

"Dipper," she shouted, "don't you da-ahhh!" She screamed as she tripped on a lose floorboard, falling through the doorway and into the bedroom. Holding her head, she looked up and saw Dipper smirking at her. Mable glared at him. "I hate you."

"Sure you do Mabel. But trust me; you'll thank me later once you actually get some sleep." He walked away from her and jumped onto his bed.

"B-but," she stammered, "it's barely e-even l-late!"

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Mabel, it's eleven o'clock."

"Yeah… But it's Summer! That means we can stay up however long we want!"

Sorry Mabel," Dipper yawned, "but I want to go to sleep." He laid down then pulled the blanket up over himself. He turned so that he was facing the wall and said nothing else.

"Dipper," Mabel whined, "come on!" She went to pull the blankets off of him when snores began to echo around the room. She grunted. Of course he was already asleep.

She turned and jumped into her bed and, like Dipper, she laid down. However, instead of closing her eyes and going to sleep, Mabel kept them wide open. There was no way she was going to sleep!

* * *

Five minutes later she felt her eyes begin to droop. She shook her head. _No_ , Mabel thought to herself, _I am NOT sleeping!_

* * *

Ten minutes later she felt her mind falling, if that made sense, a sign she was going to sleep. She slapped herself in the cheek. _No, no, no, no, NO! I'm not going to sleep!_

* * *

Twenty minutes later, sleep felt like the best thing in the world. Although her mind told her to stay awake, something about the way sleep called her convinced her to stop listening to her head. She closed her eyes and within seconds, she was out.

* * *

Mabel opened her eyes.

She was in a field and all she could see was grass for miles and miles around. The sky above her held a few clouds but that was it. There weren't any woods or hills or cliffs, just grass and sky. But the worst part?

Everything around her was black, white, or grey.

Her heart picked up its pace and she pushed herself up. She frantically looked around to see if anyone was with her. No one was.

 _Okay_ , Mabel began to think, _this isn't so bad. At least I'm alone this time and-_

A cold breeze behind her made Mabel's brain stop functioning. The last time she felt a breeze…

She slowly turned around, and then screamed.

Hundreds of the shadowy creatures were behind her. Some of them blobs, others in their "human" form. Worst of all, in front of them stood the shadow that haunted her thoughts throughout all of dinner that night. The leader. The one that wanted her dead.

" _No Mabel_ ," the shadow sighed, " _you are_ not _alone._ "

Mabel tried to turn and run away but found her feet stuck in some sort of black and purple goo. The leader walked up and grabbed Mabel's chin. Her hand, if Mabel could call it that seeing that it was only a black shadow, was cold and caused a shiver to run down Mabel's spine. The leader frowned. " _You know, you are quite pretty. It's a shame we're going to have to kill you_."

Mabel twisted her head so her chin was out of the women's grasp. "W-why," Mabel stammered, "d-d-do you want me d-dead? A-and who are you!" She tried to sound more confident on the last part but she still couldn't stop her stutter from breaking out.

The women shrugged. " _Why we want you dead? Why, you already know the answer to that dear. But who we are… Well, I don't see the harm in telling you. You're going to be dead in a few minutes anyways._ " Mabel swallowed but didn't say anything else. Maybe why the shadow creature was talking, she could find a way to escape this goo.

The woman threw her wispy black arms out and gestured to the shadows behind her. " _We are what are known as the Shadows of the Underworld_." She turned to face her fellow shadows as she continued her story. " _We are shadows that live in the world down under but we do have the power to travel through different realms, like your Dreamscape for instance. However, the one place we truly want to go but can't, is the living world. Why we want to go there, well I don't need to tell you, but lets just say it won't be pretty. Anyway, millions of years ago…_ " Mabel tuned out after that. She had already spent enough valuable time, learning who they were; she didn't want to waste any more of it.

She tried twisting and moving her legs every which way but her feet wouldn't budge. Mabel would glance up every couple seconds to see if any of the shadows saw what she was doing. They didn't.

Mabel put her left thumb and forefinger up to her forehead and began to rub it. She had to do something! _Think Mabel, what can you do to get out?_ She thought up many possible ways but she knew none could work. _Ugh! If only I didn't wear my slippers to bed! Then I could have felt the goo coming! Wait a minute!_ She gasped then quickly covered her mouth. Thankfully no one noticed. They were too wrapped up in their leader's story to notice her.

Mabel looked down and realized that the slippers were protecting her feet from the goo! It did however surround her ankles and that's what kept her trap. It was only a very thin layer however and if she moved her feet in just the right way…

She smiled when she heard a small crack. Her left foot was breaking through. Mabel kept twisting and twisting until it was finally free. She placed it onto an area without any of the black and purple goo. Then she repeated the process but with her right foot.

Her right foot broke free. Mabel smiled, but her victory was short lived. She felt herself falling backwards. She tried using her arms to regain her balance but it was to no avail. She fell to the ground causing the grass surrounding her to make a crackling sound.

The shadows heard the sound and turned to face where Mabel fell. When the leader turned around, her face changed from calm to outrage in a matter of seconds. " _You little brat! Thinking you can escape_ me _! Well Ms. Pines. Your time is up and my little story has come to an end. It's time you find out what death feels like!_ " Just like in her dream the night before, the woman pointer a wispy black finger in Mabel's direction. " _Kill her! And this time, do_ NOT _fail!"_

The shadows did not hesitate. They leaped up in the air and began to fly at her from all different directions. Mabel knew she could not escape this time. She closed her eyes and began to think things she wished she had said to people.

 _Mom and Dad, I'm sorry I always get you worried. I love you so much and I don't try to make you worry when Dipper and I go out on adventures. It my fault most of the time! I'm sorry._

 _Soos and Wendy, you guys are some amazing friends. Wendy, I hope you find a job you love and Soos, I hope you have a wonderful life with Melody. You guys will always be part of my family._

 _Grunkle Stan and Great Uncle Ford, you are the best great uncle's ever. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. I'm sorry Dipper and I get into dangerous situations that might kill us here in Gravity Falls and like Mom and Dad, you worry about us, but I love you for that. You guys were always there to protect me. Thank you!_

 _Candy and Grenda. You are the best friends I could ever have. I know we haven't seen one another in person since last Summer, but my opinion about you hasn't changed. You are still the most amazing friends on Earth and I thank you for being with me through and through._

 _Waddles, you were the best pig (and only pig) I ever had. Don't ever stop doing your cute waddle okay?_

 _Pacifica, I know we never saw eye to eye when we first meet, but we've become really great friends over the past five years. You are beautiful and I hope you never forget it!_

 _And Dipper, you are the best brother I could have ever asked for. We have had our ups and downs but we have stayed together no matter what. I'm going to miss you the most. Goodbye Dipper._

Mabel felt tears prick her eyes. She opened them one last time to see the shadows approaching at rapid speed. Mabel squeezed them shut again then waited for the impact.

She felt hot.

 _Is this what death feels like? You don't feel hurt, but immense heat?_ More thoughts like this ran around in her head.

Then she heard a scream. Multiple screams to be precise.

 _Wait a minute,_ Mabel thought, _there's no way I could be screaming multiple times._

Her eyes flew open and she gasped at the sight in front of her.

The field was engulfed in blue flames. The shadows were flying into the air trying to escape it. Some made it out but others weren't so lucky. The fire caught them and they disappeared with a retched scream.

Mabel looked up and saw the leader, who's name she still hadn't learned, throwing her hand down with a slashing notion. To Mabel's surprise, a black and purple rip appeared were the leader slashed. " _Come on! Whatever the blasted girl did is protecting her. We can't touch her or even get near her without being burned to a crisp. Now if you want to live, I suggest you leave. Now!"_ The woman flew through the portal, the rest of living shadows following her. The rip snapped shut.

Mabel was still confused about something though. _What did the she mean whatever_ I _did is protecting… me?_ _Oh my gosh the fire isn't touching me!_ Mabel looked all around her and realized the leader was right. There was a giant ring around her where the fire wouldn't touch.

Just as soon as she realized this, the blue fire disappeared.

Mabel slowly stood up and looked at the field around her, pure shock on her face.

The field was perfectly normal. It was as if the fire never happened. But that was impossible! It was killing the shadows and everything! It even made them leave! It had to have been real!

Mabel shook her head. "Maybe none of this shadow stuff actually happened. Maybe this really is a dream and I'm just going crazy."

"Crazy? No, that word doesn't seem right. Silly and wacky maybe, but crazy? Nope. That word is reserved for a being like me. After all, I have lost my mind, if I ever had one Shooting Star."

Mabel's blood froze. _Shooting Star_. That word echoed in her brain. Only one person, no, one _being_ has ever called her that. And only one _being_ had the high pitch, echoy voice she would recognize anywhere.

She slowly turned around and met face to face, or face to _triangle_ with the one eyed dream demon.

Bill Cipher.

She screamed and fell back on the ground. Bill found this quite amusing and gave off a quick laugh.

Mabel began to stammer again. "B-B-B-Bill?! Y-you're supposed t-to be dead!"

"Dead is such a strong word Shooting Star, I was, let's say… out of order for a little while. But thanks to your fat friend, I'm free again!

Mabel was flabbergasted. Soos freed Bill? But how? Bill was erased from existent. He should be gone!

The triangle himself rolled his eye. He flew down and proceeded to knock on Mabel's head as if it were a door. "Hello? Anyone home? It is very impolite to ignore people you know!" Mabel glared up at the dream demon and swatted his hand away. He scoffed. "And to think, you are treating me so rudely after _I_ just saved _your_ life." Bill made his cane appear and began to swing it around his finger while he waited for Mabel to process the information.

Mabel's eyes widened. "The fire! That was you?!"

"Of course! Who else do you think has blue flames at their disposal?!"

Mabel narrowed her eyes at him and stood up. She crossed her arms but didn't move any closer to him. Who knew what Bill had up his sleeves? "And why," Mabel growled, "would _you_ save _me_?"

Bill had been waiting for her to ask that. He put both hands on his cane and flew as close to her as they could be without touching. "It's quite simple Shooting Star. I want to make a deal with you."

Mabel stepped back in shock. She regained her posture quickly this time however and her shock turned to anger. "No way! The first time you made a deal, it was to get the deed to the shack so Gideon could take it for himself. The second time you took over Dipper's body and used him as your _puppet_! And the third time you made a deal was to get information from Great Uncle Ford's mind and make Weirdmageddon global. We were able to stop you though so thank goodness for that. Also, who knows what other deals you have made that have turned back on the person who asked for it. For all I know, you could have killed that person! Now tell me! Why would I want to make a deal with you?"

Bill had to admit that she made a very valid argument. However, he had an even better one.

"If you don't make a deal with me Shooting Star, you will die."

Mabel's eyes widened, then narrowed again. She growled. "What?"

"The Shadows of the Underworld, very _original_ name by the way, will stop at nothing to kill you. The only reason you were able to get out of the situation the first time was because they underestimated you."

"How did you-"

"I saw it all, and please don't interrupt. Again, quite rude. Anyways, and the only reason you got out this time was because of me, and I'm willing to bet that you had no plan to get out of that situation, am I right?" Mabel didn't reply. "Thought so. So you see Shooting Star, unless you make a deal with me, you won't survive the next night."

Mabel gritted her teeth. Bill did make a very valid point. However, she did notice he was leaving out one thing. "A deal goes both ways," she muttered, "which means both parties must get something they want."

"Yes," Bill moaned, "I know how a deal works. _I_ invented them."

Mabel ignored him. "So that means if I make a deal with you, you want something from me. What is it?"

Bill shrugged. "I don't know. You don't have anything I need at the moment and I have no reason to posses your body or mind… So let's just say you owe me a favor.'

Mabel raised an eyebrow. "That's it; I just owe you a favor?"

Bill chuckled. "Yes, that's it. But remember Shooting Star, if you owe me a favor that means I can do anything I want with it. For all you know, I could ask to eat your soul and you would _have_ to give it to me." Bill laughed at her horrified expression. "Relax, I'm joking. I don't eat souls. Minds maybe, but souls, no." He laughed again at the expression on her face. "Just another joke Shooting Star. Seriously, your kind takes everything too... well seriously!"

Mabel swallowed the lump in her throat. She had two choices. Either a, agree to Bill's deal and be protected but have to owe him a favor, or b, die to the shadows.

She growled. "Fine, we have a deal."

Bill lifted his right hand up and blue fire, looking exactly like the one that was in the field minutes ago, engulfed his hand. Mabel gathered up all the courage she had and lifted her right hand towards his.

The grabbed each other's hands, the fire not hurting Mabel at all.

Bill stopped looking at their hands and he glanced up at Mabel. "Deal?" She grumbled at how happy he seemed about this.

"Deal."

They shook hands.

The deal was done.

They let go and while Mabel was glaring at the triangle, Bill was so happy that if he had a mouth, he wouldn't be able to contain his smile.

He had finally struck a deal after so many years. It felt good. And to make it even better, the brat now owed him a favor. His day couldn't get any better.

Bill turned and began to float away. Before he left, he called back to her. "I'll explain where we start tomorrow." He didn't hear a reply, then…

"What?! What do you mean 'where we start tomorrow'?"

Bill laughed for the fifth time today. He was having so much fun! He turned to face her. "What, did you think we were just going to wait for the shadows to attack us? That would be a complete waste of my time. The only way to truly stop them from killing you is to make sure they _can't_ kill you. Like I said, we will discuss it tomorrow. It would have been better today, but it seems you're waking up."

Mabel looked down at her body and saw that Bill was right. Her hands and feet were starting to fade and it was spreading up her body. She looked back up and saw that Bill was right in front of her again.

"You know, let's make this interesting, shall we Shooting Star?" He snapped his finger and Mabel was surround by a blue light and levitated off the ground. Bill snapped his fingers again and a dark void appeared where she once stood. Mabel looked up at him confused. "I heard that you're afraid of heights Shooting Star, and loved hearing you scream in fright last night."

While Mabel's eyes were full of fear in what she figured he was doing, Bill's was full of delight. He straightened his bow tie, took of his top hat, and gave her a small bow. "See you tomorrow night Shooting Star." Then he snapped his fingers again and the blue light surrounding Mabel disappeared. She gave Bill one last hateful glare before she fell.

She screamed at the top of her lungs as she began her descent. Then Mabel looked back up at the dream demon who was floating there, watching her fall. "Bill!" her voice was full of anger, fear, and frustration. Things Bill loved to cause people. He didn't reply to Mabel's scream. He just laughed.

And that was the last thing Mabel heard, the echoing on Bill's laughter.

* * *

She woke up with a start.

Once again, the blankets were tangled all around her and there was sweat streaming down her face. Then she groaned remembering what happened. She made a deal with Bill.

This wasn't going to end well.

Mabel sighed and looked at her body. _At least I'm not covered with scratches and dirt from head to toe_ she thought.

* * *

 **I just want to get this off my chest… BILL IS SO HARD TO WRITE! I hope I did a good job presenting his character because, like I said, he is so difficult to write. Also, I was going to stop the chapter when Bill appeared to Mabel, but I decided to be nice and continue on.**

 **Okay aerizel, you wanted to know what my theory is so here you go! Bill is (or was in my stories case) trapped. The memory eraser gun they use is the same one Society of the Blind Eye used. If you remember, the memories would be trapped in a little container and then sent to a room. When Grunkle Stan punched Bill, Bill disappearing was only him being sucked into the container in the memory gun. We know Ford had studied the memory gun since we saw it in his secret room in "The Last Mabelcorn", so he knew Bill was trapped inside the container and if anyone broke it, he would get out. So Ford, telling nobody, hid the container where nobody would ever find it again. Bill was trapped in there until (in my story) Soos found the canister and accidentally broke it, which let Bill escape.**

 **That's my theory! Do you guys like it or not?**

 **Also, I have a question involving my updating procedure. Right now, I update the chapter whenever I finish it. Would you rather I only update on a certain day, or just update when I finish the chapter. Please leave a yes or no in the review section if you can. This is for you, not me. I want to know what** ** _you_** **guys would like better.**

 **Please R &R, follow, and favorite if you liked this story. If you have anything you think I should improve on, don't be shy! Leave a review! I enjoy constructive criticism. I hope you'll read the next chapter. Until then…**

 **Peace!** ** _GamerFan369_**


	4. The Need for a Disguise

**Wow, lots of people liked that last chapter. That's good news for me! Now onto the reviews!**

 ** _Ivygreenstem_** **: Great minds think alike! I think that it must have been at least a day or two since Weirdmageddon. Ford must have just switched the container to make sure no one suspected anything. At least, that's what he did in my story. Also, you might need to wait a bit for Dipper's reacting. It will be a long while before you actually see it. Thanks for suggesting updating days too!**

 ** _iGogoTomago67_** **: Yes! I was so happy for Bill to finally have more than two lines. Although he is difficult to write, he's also a lot of fun! You'll have to wait and see what he wants with Mabel!**

 ** _NikiFarren_** **: I think I might have a set date. I'm still decided but I'll let everyone know if I do get one. I'm glad you like the story!**

 ** _bloodstone38_** **: That's… great? I'm sorry! I don't really know how to respond to that.**

 ** _Someone_** **: I'm glad you love the story! And MaBill is an amazing ship! MaBill for the win! I'm still deciding on my updating schedule though.**

 ** _Scale265_** **: Yes, probably every single fangirl/boy would do that.**

 ** _Daughter of bill cipher_** **: Love your name by the way! I'm glad you like my story and I'm glad you like how I present Bill!**

 ** _aerizel_** **: I'm glad you like my theory! Also, I just simply thought that if someone played the memory, Bill would also be released. That's just what I think though. As for the Shadows of the Underworld, the leader won't be incredibly amazing but she** ** _will_** **have a back story and personality. She** ** _does_** **have a reason for doing what she does. It will take a little bit until I get to adding more depth to her character, but it will be there. I would have put it closer to the beginning, but Mabel and Bill are the main focus of my story so I try to focus more on them. Also, I'm glad you want me to keep going!**

 ** _Guest_** **: You'll have to read to find out what happens next.**

 **Thanks all you amazing people for reviewing!**

 **You aren't here for my rambling; you're here for the story! Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls. It is owned by the amazing Alex Hirsch and Disney.**

* * *

"Mabel, are sure you don't want to come?"

Mabel looked up from her knitting. "I'll go next time. I just haven't gotten a lot of sleep the past few days. I'm still really tired." She shrugged and looked back down at the sweater she was knitting.

Dipper and Great Uncle Ford were about to go off and look for a monster that was causing what they called "strange and weird occurrences". Mabel would have usually gone, not missing a chance to add a picture to her scrapbook, but she was still uneasy from recent... events.

"Come on," Great Uncle Ford urged. "Who knows what could happen! We might even run into a herd of unicorns." He sent a wink in her direction. Mabel shuddered, remembering what happened the last time she had an encounter with unicorns.

"I think I'll be okay here." Dipper and Great Uncle Ford shared a glance. Mabel had started acting weird today and they didn't have the slightest clue why. She seemed like she was in her own world and wouldn't talk to anyone unless they spoke to her first. It was extreme unlike her.

Dipper decided that it wasn't worth bothering her about... yet. But for now, he decided to leave her be.

He turned and opened the door. Ford got the message and began to follow Dipper out. Ford called back, "We'll be back by five." Then he grabbed the handle and the door slammed shut.

* * *

A couple hours later, Mabel was still knitting sweaters (now onto her third one) and the living room was surrounded with more yarn than ever. To make the matters worse, she still wasn't talking. Soos and Wendy noticed this and decided to put matters into their own hands. Soos tried first.

He walked over to Mabel and put a hand on her back. "Hey Hambone?" Mabel glanced up to look at her friend. Soos cleared his throat. "Melody and I were just about to head to this new ice cream place they opened at the mall. It's supposed to be really good! Do you want to join us?"

Mabel's eyes went back down to her knitting. "No thanks," she mumbled, "not hungry."

Soos frowned and walked back over to Wendy, who was now leaning against the doorway. "She's all yours," Soos mumbled to the red head before he left the shack to meet Melody.

Wendy sighed and walked over to Mabel. Mabel never refused ice cream unless she was really troubled about something. However, Wendy already had an idea in her head about what to do.

Just like Soos, she placed a hand on Mabel's shoulder. "Hey Mabel, I can tell that there's a lot on your mind so why don't we do the one thing that always takes your mind off things." Mabel raised her eyebrow and Wendy continued. "Two words, water balloons."

Mabel sighed contently. There was no way she could say no to that. A smile broke through, the first that day. "Okay, I'll meet you up in the roof. I'll grab the balloons and the hose." She dropped her knitting needles and yarn then ran out of the room. Wendy smiled a bit. _At least she seems happier_ she thought. Her smile quickly turned to a frown. _I don't think it will last too long though. Whatever Mabel has on her mind is really troubling her, and it doesn't seem like it will be gone anytime soon._ She put a hand to her chin in thought. She was like that for a moment until she gasped. She needed reinforcements, and she knew just who to ask.

* * *

"Off the roof, down the maple tree, and… right on to Grunkle Stan's car! Seventy-five points for me!" Mabel jumped into the air and let out a triumphant cheer. Wendy smiled at the girl's enthusiasm. Mabel hadn't been happy all day and seeing her so excited was like a breath of fresh air.

It wasn't too hot out on the roof thanks to the cool breeze that came by every minute or so. There were a couple of clouds floating out and about but besides that, the sky was clear. There were no tourists milling around since the shop was closed, but they still awarded themselves points when they hit Stan. He wasn't too happy about that however.

Let's just say they were glad that they locked the door to the roof.

Wendy's face broke out into a grin and she grabbed a green balloon out of the metal bucket. "Okay, off the umbrella, off of Stan's car, and into the red bucket down there." Mabel squinted to see what Wendy was pointing at. When she finally caught sight of it, she looked and Wendy's direction and smirked. "What?! There's no _way_ you could get it in there. It's too small of a target!"

"Wanna bet?"

Mabel's smirk grew. "You're on!"

"Ten dollars goes to whoever's right?" Mabel nodded and Wendy held out her hand. "Deal?"

Mabel's smile faltered, her thoughts flashing back to the events the previous night in her Dreamscape.

 _Bill lifted his right hand up and blue fire, looking exactly like the one that was in the field minutes ago, engulfed his hand. Mabel gathered up all the courage she had and lifted her right hand towards his._

 _The grabbed each other's hands, the fire not hurting Mabel at all._

 _Bill's eye left their hands and he glanced up at Mabel. "Deal?" She grumbled at how happy he seemed about this._

 _"Deal."_

 _They shook hands._

 _The deal was done._

Mabel shuddered at the memory but quickly put a smile back on her face so Wendy wouldn't get suspicious. "Deal." They shook hands.

When they let go, Mabel turned and kept her eyes on the bucket while Wendy glanced at Mabel. She saw that Mabel hesitated when making the bet and Wendy didn't have the slightest idea why. Something was off with Mabel and it wasn't something she liked.

Wendy shook it off and picked up a pink water balloon. She squinted at her target, aimed, and threw the water balloon as hard as she could.

It bounced off the umbrella, flew off of Stan's car and-

At that exact moment, a blue minivan pulled right in front of the Mystery Shack. More importantly, right in front of the bucket. The balloon splattered all over the top of the car.

Mabel did a victory dance while Wendy groaned. "What?! Boo! I didn't know that car was going to be there! I call for a rematch!"

"You didn't say anything about interferences!"

Wendy sighed. She knew Mabel was right. "Fine." She pulled the ten dollars out of her pocket and handed it to the seventeen year old. Mabel stuffed it in her pocket and grinned victoriously.

"It is three o'clock right?"

"Of course it is! Wendy said that Mabel would be out here."

Mabel gasped at the sound of her best friend's voices. "Girls!" Candy and Grenda looked up as they saw their best friend jumping off the roof and sliding down a tree.

When Mabel reached the bottom, they all ran over to each other and it became a hug fest.

"Candy, Grenda, you have no idea how muck I've missed you!"

"We could say the same for you Mabel." Candy grinned. "Gravity Falls seems very boring whenever you are not here."

"Yeah nothing exciting ever happens when you're gone!" Grenda released the two and Candy and Mabel soon followed. Grenda continued. "By the way, Pacifica would have been here, but she called and said that her parents were dragging her to some old rich dude's birthday party."

Mabel shrugged. "Well, the rich parents do what the rich parents want." The three shared a laugh. "By the way, how is Pacifica doing?"

"Very good," Candy answered. "She is actually one of the smartest kids in school. If I wasn't there, she probably would _be_ the smartest!

Mabel grinned. "That's Pacifica for you, always full of surprises!"

Grenda changed the topic. "I heard that the diner is having a special today. Want to go grab a bite?"

Candy smiled. "Sure."

Mabel turned around and called out to Wendy. "Hey, I'm going to the diner, finish this later?"

Wendy gave her two thumbs up.

Mabel smiled and turned back to the two teens. "I'm all in! To the minivan!" Mabel pointed her forefinger forward dramatically and ran Superman style to the car.

Candy and Grenda mimicked her. "To the minivan!"

By the time they were in the car, they were laughing so hard that they couldn't even sit straight.

* * *

"Bye girls! See you on Tuesday!" Mabel waved goodbye to her friends. Candy and Grenda were leaning out the open window of the minivan waving goodbye as the car drove away.

Mabel sighed as she opened the door, closing it softly behind her. She and her best friends had just spent the last six hours doing anything they wanted to and it was awesome! They ate at the diner, saw a movie, and went to the mall. It turned out Soos was right! The ice cream place was really good! She felt a little guilty for going without him but she promised herself that the next time she went, she would bring him along and pay for everything. Her treat!

When she walked into the living room, Mabel looked surprised to see that her family was still awake. It was nine o'clock and she thought that they would be asleep by now.

Dipper and Great Uncle Ford looked up from their game of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons when she walked in. Even though the wizard from the game almost _killed_ them, it was still one of their favorite games.

Dipper smiled in Mabel's direction. "How was your day with Grenda and Candy?"

"It was good. We had so much fun! How was your day of monster hunting?"

Ford answered. "It was extremely riveting! I mean, it's not every day you get stuck inside a mantasaurguin now is it?"

Mabel cocked her head. "A manta-what now?"

"A mantasaurguin. It's a cross between a manatee, a dinosaur, and oddly enough, a penguin."

"Yeah," Dipper continued, "its mouth is so big, it actually _ate_ Great Uncle Ford! I was lucky enough to get him out! You should really come next time Mabel."

"Maybe I will Dippingsauce." She glanced over to Grunkle Stan who was sitting on his chair watching TV.

Stan shrugged. "I didn't really do much once you left."

Ford lifted an eyebrow. "You had to be driven back here in handcuffs and I had to sign a form saying that I bailed you out of jail."

Stan shrugged again, leaning his chair back. "Like I said; nothing new." Mabel agreed with him. It would be a surprise if he _didn't_ get in trouble that day.

She sat down on the floor and leaned against Grunkle Stan's chair. She stifled a yawn and began to watch whatever old movie Stan had on. She was interrupted when Ford crouched in front of her.

"No TV for you young lady. You've been out all day and you said it yourself that you haven't slept well the past few days. You need to get some rest."

Mabel bolted up. "But Great Uncle Ford," she whined, "I'm fine now! Really, I don't need to go to sleep!"

Ford stood up. "Yes you do. Now go up to your room and go to sleep." He put a hand on her back and gently nudged her in the direction of the attic. Mabel sighed. She knew there was no point in arguing. Her shoulders slumped forward and she trudged her way up to the attic.

* * *

Mabel was in bed, staring at her ceiling once again. She knew she wouldn't be caught awake for a while since whenever Dipper, her, or Ford discovered a new monster, they would spend hours in the lab writing stuff down about it. She would be helping right now if she had gone with the two of them, but she was stuck in bed and trying her best not to sleep.

Mabel sighed and began to play games with herself

* * *

"One, two, three four, I declare a thumb war!"

Mabel started to make her two thumbs wrestle. This lasted about five minutes until she finally realized that she could neither win nor lose.

* * *

"I spy with my little eye something... green!"

"Is it Dipper's nerd books?"

"Yes! How did you guess so quickly?"

"Because I'm you!"

"Oh, right."

Mabel threw her face in her pillow. You apparently could _not_ play I Spy without a second person.

* * *

"Hey Waddles, are you awake?" Mabel gently nudged the pig. He looked up at her from his bed, and then turned his head and feel back to sleep. Mabel groaned in frustration.

* * *

Mabel felt her eyes begin to droop. _No,_ she thought. _I don't care if Bill said he would protect me, I still can't trust him. Besides, I do_ not _want to know what he has planned!_

Mabel began to rub her eyes over and over until a few minutes later, the sleepiness began to disappear. _Ah, that's better_.

"Great, you're here! I thought you'd never go to sleep!"

Mabel yelped and removed her hands from her eyes in the process. She looked around and groaned. She was back in the woods, where she was the very first night. Everything was still black, white, and gray and all she could see were trees. The only difference? There was an insane dorito floating right in front of her.

Putting all the clues together she came to one conclusion. She had fallen asleep.

Seconds later, Bill snapped his fingers and once again, a blue light surrounded Mabel and she was being levitated. "Now come on, times ticking here in your Dreamscape. We need to go to the Mindscape if we want to make any progress." Mabel was still processing the information when Bill snapped his fingers again and Mabel felt herself being flung forward. Everything passed them in a blur and before she even had time to scream, they stopped. She clutched her stomach, which was now hurting worse than ever.

When Bill put her down, she gasped for breath. "What... what was tha… that?"

Bill shrugged. "Teleportation. Most of you flesh bags, excuse me, _humans_ feel sick the first time they teleport. Don't worry though, it will get easier after a while."

Mabel was in too much pain to argue, which Bill couldn't complain about. He loved to cause humans pain!

Mabel looked around and saw that they were in place that was entirely black; the ceiling, walls, the floor. She would have doubted if there _was_ ground if she wasn't standing on it. Her attention turned back to Bill when she saw him… conjuring up a door?

The dream demon closed his eye and in seconds, a door was appearing out of nowhere. It was strange though. The door kind of looked like the rip the shadows created except it was yellow and black. The only way she could tell it was a door was due to the glowing handle attached to the thing.

Bill gestured to the door. "Like I said before Shooting Star, times ticking."

Mabel gulped and walked forward. She let go of her stomach, which felt fine now, and slowly opened "door". She peered around the doorway to see what was inside.

It was a hallway. A hallway with lots and lots of doors, all normal unlike the weird one she just saw. And everything, of course, was gray, black, or white.

While Mabel stood there confused, Bill pushed his way in. "Welcome to my Mindscape Shooting Star. You could say that it's also where I live, but whatever works best."

 _Where he lives?_ Mabel slowly stepped in and then heard the door slam shut behind her. When she turned around, the door was gone. She twisted her head and saw that Bill was already going down the hallway. He gestured for Mabel to follow him and she did.

After about two or three minutes of silently walking (or floating in Bill's case), the dream demon stopped at a blank wall. He snapped his fingers once again and a door formed on the wall. Mabel cocked her head at the sight of it. It looked like something she had seen before…

"This will be your room," Bill said, snapping Mabel out of her thoughts. "You'll need it if we want to stop the shadows."

Mabel narrowed her eyes at Bill. "Why?"

"If we want to stop them, we are going to need more time than just you sleeping. Although I can't stop time, I can slow it down or speed it up in my Mindscape. Then in any world we travel to, time will still be the same speed as it is here. I would go into more detail, but your small human brain wouldn't be able to comprehend it all." Mabel could barely understand what he was saying right now.

He put his hand on the door knob and threw the wood door open. Mabel gawked at what she saw, now realizing why she recognized the door.

It was her and Dipper's room from the Mystery Shack.

Almost everything was the same; the walls, her posters, her bed. The big difference was that anything that was Dipper's was gone. His nerd books, clothes, even the bed he slept on was gone! The other difference was that it was now black, white, and gray.

She glanced back up at Bill and he could clearly read the confusion on her face. He rolled his eye. "I figured you wouldn't want to sleep in anything _I_ created Shooting Star. That wouldn't be good now would it? If you didn't get any sleep, how could you do well in a battle? And if you happened to die, how would I collect the favor you owe me?" He could tell he hit a nerve with mentioning the favor. She saw her grimace and he was delighted about it.

Bill turned and began to float farther down the hallway. "I'll be in my study. Meet me there once you get dress." He disappeared in a flash and left Mabel dumbfounded. How on earth was she going to find his study if he never told her where it was?!

* * *

When Mabel exited her room (if she could call it that), she was wearing her blue sweater with the music note on it. She had on a black skirt once again and also had on pink sneakers with white socks. Then the search for the study began.

* * *

Mabel grabbed the door knob of a wood door with a diamond in the middle. She swung it open.

She let out a quick scream as a black hole began to suck her in. Using all her strength, she slammed the door shut. She leaned against it, panting. _No more doors with diamonds on them!_

* * *

The next door didn't have a design on it. Mabel open it a crack. She heard a loud roar and she immediately shut the door with a bang. She did _not_ want to know what was in there!

* * *

The next door had three circles on it. She opened it and felt heat. The whole room was encased in blue fire. She shut the door, not even questioning it.

* * *

Mabel kept doing this for a while until she came to a door with a triangle design. _Okay, Bill is a triangle, so this_ has _to be the study!_ She slowly opened the door an inch. When she didn't hear or feel anything, she opened it all the way.

Although it wasn't the study, what was in there surprised her.

The room was big, maybe around the size of a gym. The floor was made of wood but it was polished so well it could have been glass. The walls (like almost everything else) were gray and so was the ceiling. Even though there wasn't any source of light, the room seemed bright and dark at the same time. Yet it wasn't the room itself that surprised Mabel, it was what was in the room that did. It was the last thing Mabel ever expected to see.

A piano.

And it was probably the most beautiful piano she has ever seen.

It was big, black, and gleaming. The cover was placed down and not in the air like some pianos, however Mabel could tell the top could be lifted. There was a black velvet seat for the player to sit on and was placed right in front of the instrument. The keys were white and black and they also gleamed. It looked like they had ever been touched, yet if a whole room was dedicated to it, she guessed it was.

Mabel was about to take a closer look when her thoughts snapped back to the mission at hand. _Stay focused Mabel! You need to find that study._ Mabel took one last look at the piano before softly shutting the door.

* * *

She made her way down to the end of the hall. After a lot of failed attempts, this was one of the last doors left. The design on the wood door was an eye, more specifically, Bill's eye. _Okay,_ Mabel thought, _twenty seventh time's a charm._ She hesitantly opened the door.

When Mabel looked inside, she sighed with relief. It was the study.

She looked around the room. This place, like all the rest, was void of color. There was a fireplace with blue flames inside it, a picture of Bill above the fire place (can someone say giant ego), the walls looked like bricks, and there was a couch made up of some material against the wall. And on that couch, Mabel saw Bill. He was looking at her funny and Mabel had a good idea why. She probably looked weird being so relieved to enter a room.

"Did it really take you that long to change?" Bill already deduced what happened, but didn't want to waste time by asking. He didn't tell her where the room was for a reason.

"Er, something like that."

He sighed. "Well then, let's get down to business." He snapped his fingers and a table appeared in the middle of the room. Mabel walked over to it and saw that there was a map placed on top. At least, she thought it was a map. It looked like one but it had places she had never heard about before on it.

"So," Bill began, "if we wants to stop the Shadows of the Underworld from killing you, we need to collect the five shadow shards. Again with the name. Can any of those things come up with a name that doesn't have the word _shadow_ in it?"

Mabel looked at Bill confused. "What on earth is a shadow shard?"

"Shadow shards are five shards, obviously, that come together to create a crystal. For billions and billions of years, that was has kept the shadows inside the Underworld. However, it was recently broken by ways unknown and was scattered across many differently realms. They are now free to go wherever they wish, except the realm of the living, where you live. They would have to find another way to create a portal to get there. Anyways, if we can collect the five shards, we can put them back together so the crystal can be formed again. It will trap the shadows back in the Underworld and they won't be able to escape."

"The only problem is secrecy. We _cannot_ let the shadows know we're trying to find the crystals. If they do, they could find one of the five shards before we do. If they keep us from getting even one, there is no way we can recreate the crystal and trap them in the Underworld." Bill glanced over at Mabel, who was still trying to process the information. "You got all that?"

"Shadow shards, need to find them all, don't let the shadows get even one of them… I think I got it."

"Good. Now, as for where the shards are located, I don't know the exact five realms _yet_ , but I'll have them by tomorrow night." He paused for a second, the continued. "However, there is still one more problem."

Mabel tilted her head. "What's that? It seems like we've already got everything covered."

"I did a little digging, been talking to some old friends, and found out that the shadows have recently created a device that can take away magic."

Mabel's eyes widened. "I never knew that shadows could create things like that."

"I didn't think they could do that at all, Lily is very smart though."

"Lily?"

Bill shrugged. "It's the leader's name. But that's not the point!"

Mabel ran that in her head. _Lily. It doesn't sound like the name of being that would want to kill me. It sounds… normal. I wonder who she was when she was alive. Was she mean like she is now, or was she nice? Was she happy or sad? Did she die recently or was it a long time ago? Was she famous or-_

Mabel cried out in shock as a firework blew up in her face, causing a bunch of ash to get in her hair. She quickly shook it out then looked over to see Bill glaring at her.

"Are you focused now Shooting Star?"

Mabel didn't reply.

"Good. Now as I was saying, the shadows know who I am and what I can do. If they saw it was _me_ who was helping you, they would take away my magic and not only would you lose your only chance of survival you have, it would hugely impact my reputation as an all mighty dream demon." Mabel rolled her eyes. Of course he was more worried about his reputation.

"So," she grumbled, "what do you have in mind?"

"I need a disguise." Bill's cane appeared and he put both his hands on it. He closed his eye and was deep into thought. He began to mumble to himself. "But what would it be? What would it…"

A thought came to him. His eye flashed open and he turned to face Mabel. He looked at her body until he seemed satisfied. "I guess that would work."

Mabel took a step back and crossed her arms. "Oh no. There is no _way_ you're taking over my body!"

Bill rolled his eye. "I am not taking over your body nor would I want to. You have too many… _things_ that happen to your body in your teenage years." He shuddered and Mabel felt her cheeks warm. "No Shooting Star, I mean I need a flesh bag of my own."

Bill snapped his fingers and a blue flame engulfed his body. Mabel stood back, not exactly sure what to do. She was still trying to process what he meant in her brain. _Okay, so he doesn't want to take over my body, that's good. But he said he needed "a flesh bag of his own". What did he mean-_ Mabel's mind flickered back to the conversation earlier.

 _Everything passed them in a blur and before she even had time to scream, they stopped. She clutched her stomach, which was now hurting worse than before._

 _When Bill put her down, she gasped for breath. "What….. what was tha… that?"_

 _Bill shrugged. "Teleportation. Most of you flesh bags, excuse me, humans feel sick the first time they teleport. Don't worry though, it will get easier after a while."_

Mabel's eyes widened once again. _He called humans flesh bags. That means…_ Mabel saw the blue fire disappear and gasped at what she saw.

In front of her was a young man, maybe in his late twenties. He had on a yellow brick tail coat with black pants that seemed to blend into his shoes. There was what looked like a white shirt with black buttons underneath the tail coat, but she couldn't see the bottom of the shirt so it might have just been part of the tail coat. He had black sleeves with black gloves on both of his hands. He also had on a black bow tie.

He had yellow hair on top of his head and black hair on the side. There was a top hat floating a little above his head too. And finally, while one of his cat like eyes was showing, his other was coverage by a triangle shaped black eye patch.

Mabel stumbled and put her hand against one of the walls to regain her balance. Her eyes flew back up to the dream demon floating in the air. After a moment, she finally managed to speak. "B-B-Bill?! H-how… How are y-you human?!"

Bill snapped his fingers and a black mirrored appeared in his hands. He began to examine his reflection. "You know," he concluded, "I actually don't look that bad." He made the mirror disappear and he glanced back down at the gawking girl. He couldn't help but grin at her confusion. "Come on Shooting Star, have you never seen a human before?" He flew down and grabbed her chin in his gloved hand. She was to shock to move, which caused Bill to grin even more.

Mabel eventually noticed that he was touching her and she pushed Bill away. Her eyes couldn't leave him however. "S-since," she choked out, "s-since when do you have a h-human form?"

He flew higher in the air. "Since now! I didn't even _know_ I had a human form. Although," he put a hand to his chin in thought, "I never exactly had a reason to have one, or _wanted_ one for that matter."

Mabel was about to question him further when she realized something. Her hands were staring to disappear. She was waking up.

Bill sighed. "Shame, I thought we had a bit longer to talk. Although, it _did_ take you a while to actually fall asleep."

Mabel stopped looking at her hands and sent a glare Bill's way. "Huh. I wonder why?"

"I haven't the slightest idea!" Bill snapped and levitated Mabel again.

 _Wait, the last time Bill did this..._ She realized what he was doing and looked down, not wanting to see him, and clenched her fists. "Please don't do it again."

Bill placed his forefinger under her chin and lifted her head up so she was looking at him. If they were even a centimeter closer they would be touching. "I said it once Shooting Star and I'll say it again. I _like_ hearing you scream in fright." His grin grew even more (if that was possible) and he snapped his fingers making a black void appear beneath Mabel.

She glanced down at the void and swallowed the lump in her throat. Why did she _have_ to be afraid of heights!

Collecting herself, she looked back up at Bill, her glaring returning, fiercer than ever before. "Bill Cipher, I hate you. I will always hate you."

"I have the exact same feelings towards you Shooting Star. I hate you, and I always will." He pulled back and lifted his right hand. "See you tomorrow Shooting Star."

He snapped his fingers.

Mabel fell, screaming the name of the dream demon, her voice full of hate.

Once again, the last thing she heard was Bill's laughter.

* * *

Mabel awoke to something soft being smashed in her face and the smell of smoke.

 _Wait, smoke_? Mabel bolted up right and saw Dipper with a pillow in hand. His face showed the urgency he was feeling.

"Mabel, we need your help down in the kitchen! Grunkle Stan practically set it on fire!"

"What!" Mabel and Dipper covered their ears as the fire alarm went off.

Dipper ran towards the door, hands still on his ears. He shouted to her before speeding out of the room. "Hurry!"

When Dipper exited, Mabel put her head in her hands, ignoring the horrid sound of the fire alarm.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

 **I had so much fun writing that chapter! The only problem I really had was decided on which version of Bill as a human I wanted. I had to decide between two of them. Seriously, that's what took me so long.**

 **Also, do guys remember when I said that I would be asking for suggestions in one of the earlier chapters? Well, I am now asking for suggestions. I do have some ideas in mind, but since you guys are so awesome for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting my story, I want to give you a chance to contribute! I need you guys to contribute ideas to some of the realms Bill and Mabel are going to visit. For example, you could say that it is all underwater, or you could even say that the whole place is green. Anything your heart desires! The only rule that I have that it has to be T rating appropriate. And of course if I use your idea, you will be credited.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please R &R, follow, and favorite. If you have any criticism or things you think I could improve on, don't be shy! Tell me in a review. I would love to hear what you guys have to say. I hope enjoyed the chapter and you will read the next one! Until then…**

 **Peace!** ** _GamerFan369_**


	5. Through the Glacier Forest

**Well, I have no idea what I'm doing for this chapter. That's great now isn't it?!**

 **Now onto the reviews…**

 ** _Sarstar98_** **: I say that it is restricted to your imagination only because I want to keep this story in the Gravity Falls universe, even if Mabel and Bill are going to different realms. Thanks for your idea!**

 ** _Guest_** **: You'll have to read on to find out what happens next!**

 ** _Guest_** **(** ** _Sydney_** **): I'm happy you like the chapter and that you're excited for more! I'm also so happy you think I write Bill well! Since he's my favorite character, I want to write him well and I'm always really nervous whether or not people like how I write him. So I was really happy when I got your review! And I'm also glad you like how Mabel's and Bill's relationship is going!**

 ** _Saphirabrightscale_** **: I'm glad you liked my chapter! Thanks for the idea, but I haven't seen the Matrix or Mirrormask so… Thanks again for the suggestion though!**

 ** _iGogoTomago67_** **: Ha, yes! First hate, then maybe… I hope you'll stick around for more updates!**

 ** _bloodstone38_** **: You'll just have to wait and see!**

 ** _KittyCat101_** **: I'm glad you think my story is amazing and that you love it. Also, thanks to you, I know I can write Mabel in character! YOUR TIME HAS COME TO GIVE ME ADVICE! I think I might just use it. However, if I do expand Bill's back story, it's basically going to be what Bill told Ford but with a little bit more added to it. I'm trying to keep this story as close to the show as possible so I'm not going to far from the show's actual story.**

 ** _mabelcorn207_** **: I'm glad you liked the chapter! I guess the Shadows of the Underworld do sound a bit like Bill, but they have a bit different motives. If you are talking about my theory for the "end of the episode" bit, I know some of it might not add up, but in my mind, it's closer than some other theories! Also, if you mean write a fifth chapter, I'm doing it right now!**

 ** _Someone_** **: I'm trying to keep the ideas from not mixing with other games, movies, books, TV shows, etc., but thanks for the suggestion! Also yes, I love Pokémon! My favorite game is Black and White, what's yours?**

 ** _Daughter of bill cipher_** **: I'm glad you found the chapter amazing!**

 ** _Marishu_** **: I'm glad you like my story and the concept seems interesting to you! Also, Mabel isn't telling Dipper or anyone about it because if they found out, they would want to help and Mabel is afraid that the Shadows of the Underworld will end up killing them if they do try to help.**

 **Thanks all you amazing people for reviewing! That chapter had a lot of reviews but I loved reading them all! You guys have been so awesome for following, favoriting, and reviewing my story! You have no idea how happy I get when I see a new review, follow, or favorite. Thank you all so much!**

 **Also, this story has passed one thousand views! Woo hoo! Even if you haven't reviewed, followed, or favorited my story, thanks so much for reading it!**

 **The idea for this realm came from** ** _Sarstar98_** **. I am going to change a little bit of the description s/he gave so it will fit what I have planned better, but the idea for this realm belongs to her/him. Thanks so much for the idea!**

 **Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I, under no circumstances, own Gravity Falls. It belongs to Alex Hirsch and Disney.**

* * *

After Mabel, Dipper, Soos, Stan, Ford, and even Abuelita got the fire out, it was a pretty boring day.

Candy was finishing up her Summer homework (even though vacation started only a few days ago) and Grenda had family visiting, so they were out of the picture. There were no monster attacks or paranormal activity appearing on Ford's radar so monster hunting wouldn't work. And worst of all, Abuelita was hogging the TV so nobody could use it! Unless, of course, you liked old lady shows.

There were little to no tourists coming to the Mystery Shack so instead of helping Soos run it like they would do on busy days, the twins just sat on the counter, bored. Even Soos himself was bored, and that rarely ever happened!

Stan finally had enough of it.

"Okay," he yelled, barging into the gift shop, "I've had it with you guys moping around doing nothing!"

"But Grunkle Stan," Mabel whined, "there's nothing to do! Also, you're doing nothing too! You're not even dressed yet!"

"I'm always dressed like this!" The twins murmured in agreement. Stan had on his white t-shirt with his favorite pair of blue underwear.

Soos narrowed his eyes. "Does it have to do with your body or your age?"

"Can it Soos, I know I'm old."

"Ah, so you finally admit it now." Everyone turned to see a smirking Ford coming out of the lab.

Stan face palmed. "Now, see what you made me do! Point Dexter here is going to hold that over my head for the rest of eternity now!"

Ford chuckled. "You mean the rest of your small life left because of how _old_ you are?" Ford ignored the glare Stan sent his way and addressed Dipper and Mabel. "Don't mind me, I'm just passing through." He grabbed something off the shelf and made his way back down to the lab, the vending machine door shutting behind him.

Stan shook his head, getting back to the topic at hand. He turned to face the twins. "Look, although I _hate_ to admit it, I _am_ getting old. And you'll be old soon too! You're turning eighteen at the end of Summer. There's not much time left for you to, you know, be kids!" Mabel cringed at the mention of growing up. Even after all the years she still didn't like it all too much. Stan saw this and walked over to put a hand on his niece's shoulder. She looked up at her Grunkle and smiled. He returned it. "Look," he continued softer, "you're going to grow up eventually, so be a kid while you can. Go outside and throw a ball for all I care! Just don't waste what little time you have left as kids doing nothing!" With those final words, Stan let go of Mabel's shoulder, left the shop, and (the twins guessed) entered the kitchen.

Mabel and Dipper shared a look. "Well," Dipper suggested, I guess we could go into town."

Mabel shrugged. "Sure, I don't see why not." They hopped off of the counter and made their way to the door.

Before opening it, Dipper turned to Soos. "Hey, you want to come with us?"

Soos shook his head. "Sorry dudes, but you never know when the next tourist might come." He turned and resumed looking at the window. The Pines twins shrugged and continued out the door.

"So," Mabel asked, "what do you want to do? We could go get tacos at that-" Mabel was interrupted by a loud screech. The twins cringed and covered their ears, trying their best to block out the sound. It went on for a couple of seconds, but when it finally stopped, they looked up to see a monster running back into the woods.

Mabel stared at the spot where she saw the creature disappeared. A person could see the surprised look on her face from a mile away. _A monster! But Great Uncle Ford's radar didn't pick up anything!_ Mabel paused her thinking for a moment. _However, that means…_

The twins turned to each other and they both had similar grins on their face. "Mystery Twins?" Dipper had his hand in a fist and held it out for Mabel to hit.

Mabel put her clenched fist out and hit her brother's. "Mystery Twins." Then she turned to face the side of the Mystery Shack and screamed, "To the golf cart!" She ran off to where the cart was located.

Dipper laughed at his sister's silliness and ran right after her. After all, what kid _wouldn't_ want to risk their lives chasing down a monster?! _Besides_ Dipper thought, _if Great Uncle Ford's radar didn't pick it up, how bad could it be?_

* * *

Apparently it can be very bad.

Mabel screamed at the top of her lungs. "Dipper, can you make this thing go any faster?!"

Dipper pushed the pedal down harder but the cart barely picked up any speed. Panic began to show on his face. "I'm trying, but the cart is getting old! This is about as fast as it can go!"

"If it doesn't go that fast anymore, why on Earth did you put a bunch of meat in the back so the monster would chase us?!" Mabel glared at her brother and Dipper returned it.

"I'm sorry! It would have eaten us ages ago if I didn't! This at least gives me time to think of a plan!"

Mabel gritted her teeth. "Well it's not like we can just make the monster crash into a tree. It runs _through_ them!" Dipper glanced back to see that his sister was right. Many trees had monster (they still didn't know what to call the creature) shaped holes in them. "I mean it - He? She? Oh who cares?! - doesn't even have on scratch on it! How is that even possible?!" Dipper was about to go on a rant but Mabel put a hand up to shush him. "Don't even answer that. From all the stuff I've seen the past five years, I shouldn't be surprised!"

Dipper looked back at the monster chasing them and growled. "I wished this monster would just fall off a cliff or something! It would stop chasing us then at least!"

Mabel perked up. "Dipper, fall off a cliff! You're a genius!"

Dipper cocked his head. "What are you -?"

"I'll explain on the way, just head to the floating cliffs!" Dipper didn't argue and took a sharp left towards the cliffs.

When the cliffs were in sight, Mabel looked back to see if the monster was still following them. It was. She returned her attention back to the cliffs in front of her. "Okay," she instructed, "do you see the area where the ground goes upwards and it looks like a small ramp?" Dipper nodded. "Good. Now I want you to drive as fast as the cart can go and drive up the ramp."

He gave her an "are you crazy" look. Then he said exactly what his face did. "Are you crazy?!"

Mabel rolled her eyes and shook her head. "That doesn't matter right now! I have an idea that might work though and I'd rather try to live than just letting the monster eat us!" Dipper opened his mouth to argue but closed it when he saw the determined look on his sister's face. She only had that look when she had a plan that she was absolutely certain would work. He had to trust her.

Dipper turned his attention back to the cliffs and pressed his foot down on the pedal even harder. The golf cart only picked up a little speed but it was better than nothing.

"Come on, come on!" Mabel kept muttering under her breath. Then, there was only a couple of seconds until they reached the edge. Dipper swallowed hard, praying that Mabel was right about this.

They went off the ramp and flew off.

The twins screamed at the top of their lungs. Mabel clung to the cart's side for dear life while Dipper had his hands clamped on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

When they stopped in midair, right before they began to fall, Mabel screamed one last piece of instructions. "Dipper! Turn so we are facing the other way!" Dipper yanked the wheel right and the cart spun so they were facing the part of the cliff they just left. They looked down and saw the monster running off the edge and falling. They did it.

Mabel and Dipper let out a quick cheer before remembering their current situation. The cart began to fall rapidly towards their doom.

Mabel glanced down but quickly looked away, her heart leaping into her throat. _Come on Mabel_ she thought to herself. _You still have to do your part if you want Dipper and you to get out of this alive._ She forced herself to look at the side of the cliff they were facing. She had to do this at exactly the right time or else they would surely die.

She put her hand in the back pocket of her skirt and began to fumble around. When her hand grabbed the cool metal object, her fear dissolved a tad. Mabel closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and screamed the words she had been waiting to say for nine months.

"Grappling hook!"

The hook blasted out of the gun and shot towards a big tree at the edge of the forest. Before it latched onto it, Mabel tied the grappling hook to the cart. Then the hook got stuck in the tree and the cart was being pulled forward. "Get down!" Mabel screamed and Dipper pulled Mabel and himself down to the floor of the cart. Seconds later, they felt the car being smashed into the tree. The golf cart hit the ground, and then there was silence.

After a moment, Dipper opened his eyes that he never even noticed he closed. Mabel did the same. They inspected each other's body, making sure that they were all right. Besides a few cuts and bruises, the twins were fine.

They finally let out a smile. They both jumped out of the cart and cheered. "We're alive!" Dipper punched his fist in the air. "Beat that whatever monster you were! We're alive!"

"I can't believe it!" Mabel shouted. "My plan worked!" She ran over and held her hands out to him. He smiled and they began their handshake.

"Bleep! Blop! Blobity boop! Twins!" They ended it with a fist bump and they both stuck out their tongues, pointing at each other. The twins let out a little laugh.

Mabel walked over to the golf cart and began to untie her grappling hook. Dipper followed her but inspected the cart instead. "I think," he muttered, "I can still drive this thing back to the Mystery Shack. We will have to ask Soos to fix it though." Dipper climbed in and put the cart in reverse to test it out. The cart moved backwards. "Yep, it's still functional, at least for now."

Mabel pulled the hook out of the tree and slipped her grappling hook back into her pocket. She jumped in the cart and Dipper smiled at her again. "You know, I should really get a grappling hook myself. After all the times it has saved our butts, I think it's worth it."

"It is!" Mabel gushed. "I mean it's practical, easy to use, it can be used for a lot of things…" And that's how the ride home went, Mabel telling her brother about how wonderful grappling hooks are and Dipper silently nodding along.

* * *

By the time they got home, it was already dinner time. Abuelita and Soos had made burgers and Grunkle Stan, Soos, and Abuelita were already eating them. The twins guessed that Great Uncle Ford had already eaten and was back down in the lab, so they could tell him about the monster later.

The twins dove into the food that was offered to them and it was gone in a matter of minutes. Running from monsters always made them hungry. The whole plate of burgers was gone and everyone was stuffed.

Well, all except for Soos and Mabel.

"Hey dude, when Melody and I went out the other day, we got fourteen tubs of ice cream."

Mabel gave a sly smile. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

Soos pointed a finger at her and smiled. "If you're talking about an ice cream eating contest, then yes."

"First one to eat seven tubs of ice cream wins."

Soos laughed. "You are so on dude." Then the two raced towards the fridge and began their contest. Dipper just shook his head and went to find a book to read, already knowing how this would end.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Dipper walked back in the kitchen to see Mabel sprawled out on the table, and Soos lying on the floor, "So, who won?" Dipper asked, stifling a laugh.

"It was a tie." Mabel and Soos moaned simultaneously.

"And was it worth it?"

Mabel shot up. "Of course it was worth it Dipper! Eating seven tubs of ice cream is a very important skill in life!"

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Really, how?" He could see that his sister was about to go into a rant and put up a hand to stop her. "Never mind, I don't want to know." Mabel shrugged and jumped off the table, stepping over Soos who had fallen asleep on the floor.

Mabel started towards the door to the living room when she thought of something. "Hey, do you want to go tell Great Uncle Ford what we saw now?"

Dipper smiled. "Sure!" The twins began their way towards the gift shop, but they were stopped by Grunkle Stan.

"Oh no you don't. You guys just survived a monster and you almost just fell off a cliff. You kiddos need to get some sleep." Dipper began to protest but Stan cut him off. "My brother will still be there in the morning… I hope. So I'm sure you can wait one night to tell him this." The twins sighed and trudged their way up to the attic, not even bothering to argue. The look on Stan's face was all they needed to see to know that it would be a losing battle.

* * *

Now they were in bed, Dipper reading through one of the journals and Mabel gently patting Waddles. After a moment, Dipper let out a yawn and shut off the light. "Night Mabel," he mumbled before slipping into to sleep.

Mabel sighed and turned to face the wall. She closed her eyes and for the first time in days, not even fighting the sleep that instantly came.

* * *

When Mabel opened her eyes again, she was in her bed. She frowned. _Well that's odd. Did Bill not send me to his Mindscape tonight?_ She sat up and rubbed her eyes. When she dropped her hands and she opened her eyes again, Mabel saw the problem.

She was in her room in Bill's Mindscape.

Mabel rolled her eyes. _I should have noticed that there was no color earlier_. She got out of bed and stretched. She went over to her drawer and picked out a white sweater with a light blue snowflake on it and a blue skirt. The second she put the skirt and sweater on, they went from black and grey, to the original colors in white and blue. This happened the night before too. Apparently anything she wore turned back to its color in the real world. She couldn't complain though. It wouldn't have been fun for her to wear black, white, and grey clothes all the time.

She slipped on a pair of dark blue socks and sneakers that matched. When she was finally ready, she turned towards the door to open it, but stopped when she saw a note pinned on it. She ripped it off and quickly read it.

 _Meet me in my throne room. Door with the top hat on it. –Bill_

Mabel rolled her eyes. _Of course he has a throne room. Anyone with an ego as big as his would_. She sighed and began another a door hunt, a bit glad that he at least gave her where it was located this time.

* * *

She found the door about five minutes later. She opened it slowly, just in case it was a trick. Thankfully it wasn't though and Mabel raised her eyebrows at the familiar room.

The throne room was an exact copy of the one in the Fearamid. The floor, the walls, the design, almost everything was the same. The only differences were that instead of the throne being made of people turned to stone (which Mabel was silently relieved about), it was just plain stone. And, of course, the whole room was black, white, and grey.

She turned her gaze to Bill who was sitting on the throne. Bill was larger than usual at the moment and Mabel couldn't tell if it was so he would look more powerful, or if it was just so that he could actually sit on the throne. It also shocked her a tad to see him still in his human form, she would have thought he'd have changed back. However, it seemed he was taking this whole disguise thing seriously and she didn't question it.

When he finally seemed to notice her, he smirked. "So, you decided that you wanted to live today. Strange, I thought someone who was being hunted would _want_ to fall off a cliff and die. After all, don't you flesh bags like pain to be over with quicker rather than slow?"

Mabel's eyes widened. "How did you know about that?"

Bill rolled his eye and snapped his fingers. He disappeared from his throne and appeared in front of her, back to his original size. She jumped a little but didn't move away. "I told you that I'll be watching you, didn't I Shooting Star? Even though it has been five years, my statement still does not change."

"You're stalking me?!"

Bill scoffed. "Stalking is hardly the word I would use. _Observing_ is more like it."

"It's still creepy! Don't you know anything about privacy you evil dorito?!"

"I don't watch you while you're naked if that's what you mean." He raised an eyebrow and smirked again. "Unless, would you like me to?"

Mabel swallowed the vomit that threatened to surface. "Are you being serious right now?! No! Not in a billion years!"

Bill laughed. "Once again, I'm joking Shooting Star. Trust me; I would also _not_ like to see you naked. Ever."

Mabel crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. "Well then, I guess there is something we both agree on." Bill scowled and turned away. He did not like having something in common with that nuisance.

Ignoring the comment, he snapped his fingers again and the same table and map from last night appeared. Mabel looked down at the map and saw that unlike last night, there was an area circled.

"So," Bill began, "I got some good news and bad news. The good news is that I've found where one of the shadow shards is. The bad news however is that it is going to take me longer than I thought to find the locations of the other four shards." He pointed at the area circled on the map. "The first shadow shard is located in a realm called Glacial Forest. It's a small realm that's always covered in snow. There's only one town, although it is quite large, in it. The rest of the realm is forest, hence the name Glacier _Forest_."

"So, you're telling me that we have to search through an entire _forest_?"

"Thankfully, no. The shadow shard is located in the town and the mayor has it."

"So we just go in, ask for the shard, get it, and then we're one step closer to me not dying!" Mabel smiled a little. This was going to be easier than she thought.

"I wish it was that easy so we could get this over with faster, but sadly, it's not. The town has a barrier around it so no one can transport in or out. The only way to get in is through the forest."

"So, we go through the forest! You know, you're making this sound a lot worse than it is."

Bill groaned. "Can you please shut your mouth for a moment Shooting Star? It is hard to explain what we have to do when you keep _blabbering_ when I'm trying to _explain_ this."

Mabel rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Maybe if you would actually get to the point I would stop blabbering."

Bill glared at her. " _Anyways_ , getting through the forest is going to be a lot harder than you think. The forest is filled with dangerous creatures that could kill you in a heartbeat. However, since we made a deal, I won't let you die. But I can't promise you won't get hurt though." Mabel gave him a look of hate and Bill smiled.

The dream demon snapped his fingers and the table and map disappeared. He then turned to Mabel and his smile turned to a smirk. "I hope you're actually prepared this time Shooting Star."

Mabel's face twisted into confusion. "Wait, what do you-?"

Bill grabbed Mabel's hand then snapped his fingers. In the blink of an eye, Mabel was being shot forward. It was the same sensation she felt the night before. The world was a blur all around her and she couldn't focus on a single thing. Then, as soon as it started, it ended.

She once again clutched her stomach. It kept churning around and around and Mabel felt like she was about to throw up. Teleportation was still not agreeing with her. "Next time," she gasped, "give me a warning."

Bill's smirk grew. "I did. What do you think 'I hope you're prepared' means?" Mabel glared at him and fell to the ground, clutching her stomach. However, she quickly shot up, letting go of her stomach and forgetting the pain she was in.

"Holy Waddles!" Mabel yelped. "That's cold!"

Bill rolled his eye. "The ground is made out of snow and ice, what did you expect?"

Mabel looked down to see that he was right. The ground was covered in at least a foot of snow and bits of ice. She glanced around and saw trees that stretched up higher then she could see. Most of the trees were birch and oak but there were some maple trees dotted around. The branches were leafless but snow was piled on top of them, making some of the branches bend. There was a light snow fall happening but there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. In fact, the sun was shining brighter than ever. However, it wasn't the regular yellow Mabel was used to seeing. It was an icy blue that kind of looked like the color of the snowflake on her sweater. It was actually kind of ironic that Mabel's clothing fit the realm perfectly.

The temperature was bellowing freezing and Mabel quickly noticed it. She grabbed her shoulders and began to rub them. Her sweater didn't provide enough warmth and to make it worse, she only had on a skirt and sneakers. Her teeth began to chatter and she started to violently shiver. Long story short, Mabel was practically freezing to death.

She glanced over at Bill to see him calmly looking around. It didn't even look like he _felt_ the cold."H-h-h-h-how," she stuttered, "ar-a-are you n-n-not c-col-cold?"

He shrugged. "I guess I just can't feel the cold." Bill looked Mabel over. "You however Shooting Star, seem to be extremely bothered by it." He snapped his fingers and the cold left as if a breeze blew it away. Warmth instantly replaced it and her body felt as though she was on a beach instead of in a freezing forest.

Mabel cocked her head. "Why did you do that?"

Bill materialized his cane and began to float away. "Again, my end of the deal is that you don't die. You freezing to death would mean I wouldn't get my favor. Now come on, I want to get to the town before night fall."

Mabel ran to catch up to him, tripping once or twice. When she finally caught up though, a question was already on her tongue. "If you don't want me to die, then why didn't you help Dipper and me when that monster attacked us?"

He grimaced. "It's quite simple Shooting Star. I knew that you and Pine Tree would be able to get out of the situation. Although I _hate_ to admit it, you do have _some_ brains in that skull of yours, more than most at the very least."

Mabel smirked. "Did I hear that correctly? Did the almighty dream demon Bill Cipher give me a compliment?!"

Bill ignored the question and continued as if she never spoken. "Also, I wouldn't have been able to help you anyways."

"Why not?"

"I can't go into your world. I'm stuck in the Mindscape. So I can't help you if you're about to die in your world."

"Oh." Mabel didn't know what else to say so she stayed silent while they walked, or floated in Bill's case.

* * *

As time went on, Mabel actually began to get bored. She didn't understand what Bill meant by 'dangerous creatures.' From what she has seen, there wasn't a single creature around.

At least until now.

"What on Earth is this?" Mabel looked around at the strange looking plant standing in their path. Or at least hers. Bill could have easily floated over it, yet he was staying near the plant. She guessed he also wanted to know what the plant was too.

The plant itself looked like it was made of ice. It was a cool blue color and it looked like a giant version of a Venus fly trap. It was a little taller than Mabel and may have eaten her in one bite if it could.

"I think I know what this is but I need to test something out to see if my theory is correct." Bill floated down till he was about face level with plant. He reached a hand forward as if to pet the plant then…

"Ack!" Mabel jumped back in shock as the ice plant engulfed half of Bill's arm. She expected Bill to start screaming and try to pull his arm out of the plant's mouth but instead he started… laughing?

"This - Ha, ha! - This feels great! Ha, ha, ha!" Bill continued to laugh even when the plant continued to eat his arm. "Seriously, I don't get why you flesh bags - Ha! - hate situations like this! Pain is hilarious! Ha!"

"Bill what the-!" Mabel didn't even finish her sentence before she decided to take action. She clenched her fists, ran forward, and roundhouse kicked the ice plant.

The plant stopped engulfing Bill's arm and froze as if someone had stopped time just on that plant. Then, it began to crack. Bits and parts began breaking off until the whole thing exploded, blocks of ice flying everywhere.

Mabel covered her face with her hands and dove behind a nearby tree for cover.

When the sound of falling ice stopped, Mabel hesitantly looked around the tree to see if it was safe to come out. It was.

She let out the breath she never knew she was holding and walked over to where Bill was floating. He was floating in place, stunned.

"Uh, Bill?" Mabel began poking the dream demon until he was zapped into reality.

Bill looked towards Mabel and raised an eyebrow. "How did you do that?"

She questioned how he could be a laughing maniac one minute, then a cool and collective dream demon the next, but she didn't ponder it for long. "Do what?"

Bill pointed to where the ice plant once stood. "Destroy the Ice Trap."

"Is that what it's called?" Bill nodded and Mabel shrugged. "I just roundhouse kicked it. I'm a black belt in karate you know?"

Bill crossed his arms. "Really?"

"Yeah." Mabel put on a cocky smile. "I thought the almighty dream demon Bill Cipher was supposed to know _everything_. How did you not know so something as simple as that about me?"

"In my defense," Bill scoffed, "I have been trapped inside a canister for five years, having no way to know what was happening in the world around me. So I'm _sorry_ if I didn't know that tiny, unimportant detail about your life."

Mabel's face twisted into confusion. "Wait, what do you mean you were trapped in a canister?"

Bill smiled. "Ah, I see old Sixer didn't tell you what really happened." He chuckled. "Oh well, it doesn't affect me in anyway." He changed the subject. "We better start moving though. Like I said before, I want to get to the town before dark." Bill floated away from Mabel. She sighed and trudged behind him, ignoring the snow that was soaking her socks.

* * *

By the time they got to the town, it was nearly sundown.

"Wow," Mabel said, "I can see what you mean by no one can teleport into the town or out of it." The town was surrounding by a glowing blue bubble. It looked like ice and glass was combined into one and that's what the barrier was made of.

Mabel reached a hand forward to touch the barrier but Bill quickly grabbed her arm. "I don't think you want to do that Shooting Star."

"Why not?'

Bill sighed and made his cane appear again. He touched it against the barrier and a bolt of electricity shot up it, stopping right before it reached Bill's hand. Mabel's eyes widened in surprise and she took three cautious steps backwards. "Okay, I am glad I did _not_ touch that!"

"Yes, it would have fried all your organs and you would have been dead in seconds if you did."

"That... was a little gruesome."

"Well it's the truth."

Mabel rolled her eyes. " _Anyways_ , we need to find a way to get into the town." She looked left and right but could not find a gap anywhere in the barrier. "I think it is going to be harder than we thought, unless there is a doorbell."

"Shooting Star, I don't think there is a-"

"Found one!"

Bill floated there dumbfounded as Mabel went up to a light blue button that looked strangely like a doorbell. He had seen a lot of strange things before, but this one was a first. She looked back and gave him a look that asked 'should I push it?' Bill regained his demeanor shrugged. "Don't see why not."

She pushed the button then took a step back.

Nothing happened.

Mabel frowned and tried it again.

Still nothing happened.

"Well, I guess we have to find another way-aaaahhh!" Mabel let out a scream as the ground open up underneath her, which she quickly fell into.

Bill was shocked. Out of all the things that could have happened he did not expect that! However, seconds later, he flew down the hole after her. The door to the hole shut a moment later.

* * *

"Oof." Mabel groaned as she fell to the ground, landing half on her back and half on her butt. She rubbed her back and tried to stand up, but she quickly lost her footing and fell back on her butt. "What the heck? It's like the floors made of… oh." Mabel finally took a look of her surroundings and saw that she was in a cone shaped cave. The floor was a circle and the walls went up until the giant hole at the very top stopped them. Mabel guessed that's where she fell from. The hole itself went into darkness but the cave she was in seemed to be lit up like a light bulb.

She sat there in silence for a minute until she could bear it no longer.

"So," Mabel drawled out finally, "what do I do now?"

"I don't know. Maybe find a way out of here."

Mabel yelped and looked up. She saw Bill floating there, looking down lazily at her. "Bill! Why are you down here?! How are you down here?!"

"I followed you down here, simple enough."

"But why?!"

"Again with the death thing."

"But if something was down here it could have killed you too!"

Bill sighed. "Trust me when I say that it is very hard to kill me Shooting Star."

Mabel opened her mouth to argue but realized it was pointless. There was some truth in that statement and she couldn't deny that he was very hard to kill. Mabel got back to the problem at hand. "Okay then. Can you get us out of here? You're the one with all the magic powers!"

Bill frowned. "I already tried that. We must be inside the town because once you're inside it, you can't teleport out. You have to be outside the barrier to do so."

Mabel groaned and put her head in her hands. "Just my luck."

Their conversation was interrupted by violent shaking. Bill looked around curiously while Mabel crawled over to the wall for support. She clawed at the ice until she felt a whole to grab onto and hung on for dear life. The shaking kept bouncing her everywhere while Bill didn't move a muscle. It helped that he was in the air and wasn't actually touching the walls or the floor.

Mabel forced her head to turn and looked towards the middle of the cave and saw little cracks appearing and also some steam. _Wait a minute_ she thought. _Steam?_

Then the shaking stopped.

Mabel took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Bill put a hand to his chin in thought. "Well," he said aloud, "that was strange."

"I agree." Then Mabel let out a smile. "However, I do believe that what we are in is _not_ a cave."

Bill raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Mabel cautiously stood up and made her way over to the middle of the so called cave. She pointed to the cracks in the ground. "See these cracks right here?" Bill flew closer to the ground so he could get a better look. "What do you see coming out of them?"

He squinted at the ground for a moment, and then he spoke. "It looks like steam."

"It _is_ steam. We're not in a _cave_ , we're in a _geyser_! That's why there was a rumbling before! It's going to erupt soon! And I bet you that there are two different ways that tunnel leads." Mabel pointed to the hole above them and Bill had to admit that she made a pretty good point.

"So then, what do we do?"

Mabel shrugged and sat down on the icy floor. "Simple, we sit, or in your case float, and wait."

"So we have to sit here doing nothing for who knows how long?! When is this thing going to erupt anyways?!" Bill did _not_ like the idea of being in a geyser forever with nothing to do. He and boredom were not good friends.

Mabel shrugged again. "I don't know, but it's not going to take a full day let me tell you that." A question came into Mabel's mind. "Hey, why haven't I woken up yet?"

"I slowed time down in the Mindscape so a few hours here has been only an hour there."

"Oh, so then it won't matter too much if we have to stay in this geyser for a while."

Bill moaned and put his head in his hands like Mabel did before. "I hope this geyser eruptes soon. Sitting here doing nothing isn't exactly what I call _fun_."

"Can't you make something appear for you to do?"

"If I did that, I couldn't exactly promise your safety because, for the _thousandth_ time, _you are no use to me dead_."

Mabel gritted her teeth. "I get the point okay! You don't need to repeat that every five seconds!"

Bill smiled. "But it annoys you and annoying people is one of my favorite hobbies."

"So just do that until the geyser erupts!"

"Yes, but you would start ignoring me after a while. What's the point of annoying someone if they don't _show_ that they're annoyed?" Bill paused. "Although, I guess I could read your annoyance in your head."

Mabel sighed. "Oh right, I forgot you could read my mind."

"Only the thoughts that you are really focusing on. That's how I knew to make your colorful dream boys appear in Stanley's Mindscape. You were only focusing on them at the moment." Mabel scowled at him. "However, I also made them appear since I could tell you had a crush on them. I wanted to see how you would react and it was interesting to say the least. Although, I do regret making them appear after hearing that _awful_ music they played." Bill shuddered.

"Wait a minute, how did you know I had a crush on them?"

"I can also see people's feelings. That is, only if the feeling is strong enough. Sometimes I can catch a glimpse of a more hidden feeling, but not usually."

"I see. So you _do_ stalk people."

"For the last time, I _observe_ them. Also, please don't tell me that this will lead to us talking about you being naked again."

Mabel growled. She didn't exactly like this _little talk_ and decided to try and end it. "Okay, what is even the point of this conversation?"

Bill shrugged this time. "I don't know you started it."

"You're highly mistaken. I am one hundred percent sure that you did."

"I'm hundred and _one_ percent sure you started the conversation Shooting Star."

"You can't have a hundred and one percent! That doesn't exist!"

"I don't follow the natural laws of nature; I thought you would know that by now Shooting Star. But the point is you started the conversation."

"I should know whether or not I started a conversation."

"Well, apparently you don't. You were the one who asked me if I could make something appear or not. That led to me talking about my powers and what they do. I explained, but you still had more questions. I was just harmlessly answering them for you, nothing more, and nothing less. So in the end, I believe you started the conversation."

Mabel clenched her fist. She was even more annoyed then before, yet she still tried to stay calm. "But you're the one who kept complaining that it would take forever for the geyser to erupt."

"First of all, I wasn't complaining. Second, you're the one who said this was a geyser. I never asked what it was. If I never asked something yet you talked, I did _not_ start the conversation."

"But you suggested that I should find a way out of here. Figuring out that this is a geyser let me find out that there _is_ a way out of here. By that logic, you can clearly see that _you_ started the conversation."

Bill gritted his teeth, trying to keep from yelling. Mabel was starting to push his buttons and he did not like it all too much. "You asked what to do about the situation you were in."

"Well we wouldn't have been in this situation if it wasn't for you!"

"Excuse me?!" Bill floated a little closer to Mabel and his voice began to rise. Mabel's voice also started rising.

"Your the one who forced me to make a deal!"

"I hardly forced you to do anything! You didn't have to make a deal with me!"

"What other choice did I have?! _You_ have a choice yet you _chose_ to bean idiot dorito who says that they'll help someone with a deal, but lies and ends up hurting them! Who does that?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I don't believe we've met! I'm Bill Cipher, Master of the Mind! I make deals for a _living_! Why do you think I always go to the people who need help the most! They are the easiest to manipulate and bend to my will! I always end up getting what I want in the end, and only if they're lucky do they get what they asked for! However, the price is usually never worth it! I find joy in watching people suffer! Why do you think most of my deals end up hurting the other person more! As I said before, pain is hilarious, _especially_ when it's another person receiving it due to me! So I apologize if you hate the deal but trust me, it is _great_ news for me!"

Neither one could hold their emotions for much longer. Both of them were full out screaming by then. However, Bill still tried to control himself. He didn't want to lash out and kill her, not when she still owed him a favor. But, he couldn't do it for much longer. His clothes, hat, bow tie, and eye were already slowly starting to change color.

"So, are you saying that _you_ sent the shadows after me just so that I could owe you a favor?!"

"Hardly! I was trapped inside that horrid canister for the past five years! My magic could not reach beyond it! If it could, you and your whole family would be dead by now! I don't know why the shadows are after you but it was clearly something _you_ did!"

"Yes, but I bet _you're_ the reason the shadows are able to leave the Underworld in the first place!"

"What is that supposed to mean!"

"You said it yourself! The crystal was broken by 'unknown' ways! I bet you the only reason why the crystal was shattered was because of Weirdmageddon! I mean, what other event could have destroyed a powerful crystal that was supposed to keep the shadows trapped?! You're the one who started the weirdpocalypse, so it's your fault the shadows are after me!"

"You're the one who gave me the Rift!"

"I had no idea what it was! You tricked me into giving it to you, knowing full well that I had no clue what it was! And also, you're the one who tricked Great Uncle Ford into making the portal! We wouldn't be in this mess in the first place if you hadn't done that!"

Mabel was filled with so much rage that she didn't even notice what she was doing. She rose up her right hand…

And slapped him in the face.

When Mabel lowered her hand, she finally realized what she did. She didn't even care. "Trust me," she yelled, "that was the least you deserved!"

Everything was silent for a moment.

Then Bill lost it.

His normally yellow tailcoat turned red, and his black sleeves, gloves, top hat, eye patch, bow tie, pants, and shoes (if he had any) turned glowing white. The yellow part of his hair also turned red, while the black hair on the sides turned glowing white. His eye turned a different color too. The pupil turned pure white and was glowing and the rest of his eye turned pitch black.

Long story short, he was mad. And Mabel either didn't notice, or she didn't care.

Bill created a red and white ball of fire in both of his hands then threw it to the ground and let it spread until the 'cave' was made entirely of fire instead of ice.

Yet Mabel still did not care. She was too focused on the hatred she was feeling towards Bill to notice any of it.

Then Bill snapped his fingers and red light surrounded Mabel, unlike the usually blue. He levitated her and then forced her toward him until they were face to face, only a centimeter apart. With of a wave of his hand, the fire engulfed the entire room and was so high it was licking the bottom of Mabel's sneaker's.

But she still did not care. She continued to glare at him and Bill returned it, stronger and fiercer than ever before.

"Well let me tell you something Shooting Star! I don't regret doing it! I don't regret starting Weirdmageddon for a single second! If I could go back, the only thing I would change is that I _wouldn't_ have been tricked by Stanford and Stanley! I would have seen through their switch and then I would have _killed_ you just to watch your family suffer as you died a painful death! Then afterwards, I would have killed every person old Sixer loved until he told me how to take Weirdmageddon global! And if it had happened that way, I wouldn't have regretted killing your family and especially _you_ for a single second!"

Mabel gasped, and then she growled. "You are a monster Bill Cipher!"

"Oh, I'm glad you finally noticed the obvious Shooting Star!"

Mable let out a scream of anger and tried to hit Bill again. He snapped his fingers though and forced Mabel's arms and legs against her body against her will. She could not move them in any way, shape, or form.

Then Bill leaned in so his mouth was right next to Mabel's ear. The side of his face was up against the side of her face but she still couldn't move away. She knew saying anything wouldn't change the situation so she most she could do was grit her teeth.

Bill's face against hers was not a very pleasant feeling at the moment.

"Let's get something straight Shooting Star." Bill whispered. "I _would_ kill you in an instant. The only thing stopping me is the fact that you owe me a favor. However, the second you have completed that favor, I won't hesitate to kill you. I can't tell you when I will do it, but trust me when I say that it _will_ happen. And I don't want you to forget that."

He moved away so he was facing her again and Mabel finally got her chance to speak. She talked in a much lower voice than before. "And trust _me_ when I say that I will do everything in my power to make sure you _stay_ dead afterwards. Because once the shadows are out of the way, I won't need your protection. I wouldn't have a reason _not_ to kill you. Are we clear?"

Bill crossed his arms and growled. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." Then he snapped his fingers and all the fire disappeared. He gave Mabel one last hateful look until he snapped his fingers again and caused her to go falling towards the floor.

Mabel stifled her scream but could not stop a moan from escaping when she hit the floor. She slowly sat up and rubbed her back, not evening glancing where Bill was levitating.

After the soreness in her back began to fade, Mabel sat back on the ground and returned to attempting to draw on the ice. Surprisingly, none of it had melted even after all the fire. She pushed the thoughts of what just happened out of her mind and focused solely on her 'drawing.'

Bill snarled as he watched Mabel. _How can Shooting Star sit there so peacefully after this? I suspected she would be glaring at me the whole time until this stupid geyser erupted._ The fact that he did not even look his way irked him. He loved it when people showed how much they hated him and not seeing it from her was bothering him much more than he liked.

Still full of rage, Bill materialized his cane, which was also glowing white, and debated on whether or not to smash her skull with it. He decided it was best not to when she still owed him a favor and instead began to repeatedly whack the ice wall closest to him.

Mabel ignored it.

* * *

 **You know, I was going to go on, but I wanted to get this chapter out soon since there hasn't been one out for two weeks. If I had stopped where I wanted to, the chapter probably would have been 10,000 words! Also, sorry this chapter took a little bit to come out. I had school and I was also kind of lazy. Sorry!**

 **I learned that Bill is really fun to write mad! I actually think it's easier to write him mad then when he isn't. I basically just make him yell random things and since he is Bill Cipher, it makes sense!**

 **I'm still looking for ideas for realms! So if you have an idea you think would go well, tell me in a review! Also, someone asked and I am restricting it to imagination only. I don't want any of the realms to be actual crossovers. I'm trying to keep this in the Gravity Falls universe, even if Mabel and Bill are traveling to different realms.**

 **Also, here's just a random interesting fact, I just found out that a character from one of my favorite TV shows has the same birthday as me!**

 **Thanks so much for reading this chapter and I hope you enjoyed it! Please R &R, favorite, and follow! If you have anything you think I should improve on, leave it in a review! I would love to hear what you guys think about my story! Until next time…**

 **Peace!** ** _GamerFan369_**


	6. Welcome to Glacier Town

**I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to get out! I've been having so many tests these past couple of weeks and haven't been able to write much. To top it all off, this is the fifth draft of this chapter! I usually only have one or two. I just couldn't get this chapter right! However, I have a lot of time this next week so I'm hoping to get at least one more chapter out. Be on the lookout!**

 **Also, I'm going to go back and change a couple of things in the chapter before this one. Not a lot! I'm just fixing a few spelling mistakes and adding a line or two of dialogue to the end. I felt like the ending of that chapter was rushed since it was probably nine or ten at night when I was writing the scene. I had school the next day and I was tired. So if you go back and see some changes, that's why.**

 **Now for the reviews…**

 ** _bloodstone38_ : Although that would be an interesting idea, Mabel doesn't have any mystic powers. But who says that Mabel she won't be able to stop the Shadows of the Underworld anyways?!**

 ** _Someone_ : Another person who likes Black and White! Woo hoo!**

 ** _iGogoTomago67_ : I'm glad you thought it was intense. And of course I will keep going!**

 ** _Daughter of bill cipher_ : I'm happy you found the chapter amazing! Sorry it took so long for the chapter. I had school, but I was also being kind of lazy.**

 ** _Guest_ : You'll have to wait and see what happens next.**

 ** _NamineNasha_ : I'm so happy you love the story and that you like the idea! Also, hooray! Another person who thinks I write Bill well! Mabel and Bill's relationship is going to be interesting. I just hope I won't rush it… But yes, they will have to work past their differences. After all, Mabel isn't just going to up right forget that Bill almost killed her whole family.**

 **What the family will do? Hmmm… Well, I can say that Stanley will try to swear, but Ford will stop him. Mostly because I don't swear so I don't make the characters swear in my story.**

 **It is nice to see Mabel as the lead hero. I guess it is usually Dipper in the show, but Mabel does have her moments. I also kind of wanted to make it so Mabel has gotten stronger since Weirdmageddon. An event like that had to leave some kind of scar. So I decided to make her take karate so she knew how to fight. She wants to protect herself in case something like Weirdmageddon ever happened again.**

 ** _KittyCat151_ : Ah yes, Mabel and Bill, go continue doing whatever you want! And precious cinnamon rolls? I've never heard that expression before. I kind of like it. Also, you'll have to wait and see what happens with their relationship. It might be much different than you may think.**

 ** _IamSimplyGIO_ : I'm glad you like my writing style and you think it's an awesome fanfiction!**

 **Thanks all you amazing people for reviewing!**

 **This chapter's realm idea was by** ** _Sarstar98_. I only changed a couple of details and added some things. The idea for the realm was created by her/him. Thanks for the idea!**

 **Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls. It is owned by the fantastic Alex Hirsch and Disney. I also don't own the Bean Boozled Challenge.**

* * *

An hour went by.

Then two.

Bill had finally calmed down by then and was back to his original colors. He was lazily floating in the air and passing a small blue flame back and forth in his hands.

Mabel was still in the same spot but was now playing tic-tac-toe with herself.

The third hour went by.

During that time, a small earthquake began and lasted about two minutes. Mabel was surprised she didn't hit her head and get knocked out by it. She was being thrown around like a rag doll and was lucky to only escape with only a few bruises.

Bill was still floating, slightly amused by Mabel's constant tumbling. However, his tiny smirk quickly turned to an annoyed frown when the rumbling stopped and the geyser still didn't erupt. The cracks did grow bigger though, so that was something.

By the fourth hour, Bill finally had enough. "Okay! I don't have the slightest idea how you are so calm, but I swear that I am going to die from boredom!"

Mabel glared at him. "Oh, and here I thought dream demons were immortal. But what do you know. The all mighty Bill Cipher can't stand doing nothing for a few hours and is going to die because of it. Oh please, someone help him!" Bill growled at Mabel's mocking town. She simply rolled her eyes and went back to her game.

Nothing else was said that hour.

Or the fifth.

When the sixth hour passed, Mabel finally spoke up.

"I think…" The rest was mumbled under her breath and Bill strained to hear it.

"What?" he grunted.

She gritted her teeth and tried again. "I think we should make a pact."

Bill eyeballed Mabel. "What do you mean?"

"I _mean_ , we both clearly stated a couple of hours ago that we both wanted each other dead."

"A little longer than a _couple_ hours ago," Bill sneered.

Mabel continued as if he never spoke in the first place. "However, if we are going to be at each other's throat the whole time, we are never going to accomplish anything." Bill stayed silent but paid more attention to what she was saying. He had to admit that she made a good point. "So, I say we make a pact that says we have to _at least_ get along well enough that we can finish this journey without one of us dead."

Bill nodded his head in agreement. "I think you make a valid point." He paused and raised an eyebrow. "What's the catch though?"

Mabel cocked her head in confusion. "Catch?"

"Yes, all deals have a catch to them. I know that better than anyone, trust me."

"True, but you're talking about _deals_ , not a pact. In a pact, there are no hidden strings or anything that will end up hurting the other person. A pact is straightforward. And what I'm proposing is that we have to promise each other that we have to _try_ to get along well enough so that we don't kill each other." Her neutral look turned into a glare. "At least until this whole mess is over. After that, it's a free for all."

Bill glared right back. "I think you have good reasoning Shooting Star."

"I know I do Cipher." She held out her hand. "So, what do you say?"

The dream demon eyed her hand. "Are you _sure_ this isn't a deal?"

"One hundred and _one_ percent." Bill's eye flickered up to Mabel's face for a millisecond when he heard her repeat the words he said earlier. But his eye went back down to her hand before she could even notice.

Bill glanced at his own hand for a moment before reaching forward to grab hers. His hand was surrounded by a blue flame when he grabbed Mabel's. He couldn't help but notice how well her hand fit in his.

Mabel gave his hand a hard shake and Bill returned it.

They let go but continued to stare at each other, neither saying a word. After a moment, Mabel finally looked away and sat back on the ground. She once again began a game of tic-tac-toe.

Bill's eye never left her, although Mabel didn't notice. He was a bit surprised that she was so calm around him. Normally people would cower in fear at his very presence. The fact that she didn't left him a tad shocked. And it also made him admire her a bit. Even when they first met in Stanley's Dreamscape he admired her and her courage a little. He had never met someone who knew he was a monster from the very start yet still had the guts to stand up to him. It actually gave him a bit of a challenge. And it was a lot more fun for something to be difficult than easy. She made some points in his very long life very interesting.

He would never actually admit it though.

However, now that he thought about it, he had really only seen her scared of him twice. And they were only times when he was actually threatening her life. The first being when he tried to kill her in Stanley's Dreamscape, the second being when he was about to kill her during Weirdmageddon. Every other time though, Mabel had stood up to him and he never actually felt _any_ fear coming from her at all! She was extremely intriguing in that matter.

But he could not deny the fact that he couldn't stand her. No matter how interesting she was.

His thoughts were interrupted by violent shaking.

Mabel stopped her game and dove to the nearest wall, clinging on for dear life. She managed to look down and saw the cracks start to grow into giant holes with a _lot_ of steam coming out of them. A small smile appeared on her face. "B-Bill!" she shouted, her voice shaky from the earthquake. Bill's eye left the holes and went towards Mabel. "I think this thing's about to blow!"

Bill's lazy expression changed instantly. "Finally!" he screamed to no one in particular. "I can finally get out of this stupid geyser!"

Jets of water began to fly out of the ground and the holes got even bigger. There was so much steam that Mabel could hardly see and she was squinting to get a good look at the ground.

Everything was quiet for a moment. Then there was one last humongous shake until the ground completely fell apart. A giant beam of water shot up and caught Mabel and Bill in its grasp. They both let out a small scream of surprise. Then the water continued up into the darkness of the hole above them.

As they continued up, Mabel's screaming quickly turned to shouts of joy. "This is the best thing ever!"

Bill looked over to her in shock. "How can you like this?! You're afraid of heights!"

"True, but I'm not falling to my death."

Bill was about to protest when he suddenly got flipped around and the water was hitting him straight in the face. He tried to put his hands down to push himself up but it proved to be difficult since it was only water. He started to yell but immediately got a mouthful of water. Instead, he settled for growling in frustration as he tried to get himself out of the situation. This wasn't exactly what Bill considered fun.

Mabel, however, was having a blast. She couldn't stop laughing at the sight of Bill getting a face full of water. It was time someone, or something, took that smirk off his face.

Bill gritted his teeth when her heard Mabel's laughing. To think, she was making fun of him, a powerful dream demon who… He stopped his thoughts and mentally face palmed. _I'm a dream demon for crying out loud! How did I forget that for even a second?!_ Bill stopped trying to push himself off of the water and began to float again. He flew into the air, going only a little faster than the geyser. While flying, he made a small towel appear in his hands and proceeded to wipe the water off of his face and hair. The soggy clothes could wait. He did straighten out his hat, bow tie, and eye patch though.

He turned around and scowled at Mabel's laughing face. "Well, let's see how you like it Shooting Star." He snapped his fingers and suddenly Mabel turned over and her face was getting hit by water. He smirked at the sight and let out a small chuckle. _There, that should tech her._ But instead of hearing screams, he heard… laughter?

Bill continued to float up, his mouth slightly ajar. How was Mabel still laughing? To add even more shock, she somehow managed to push herself up enough so she could look at him. Mabel smiled. "This feels great!"

Bill lifted a hand and was about to push her back down into the water when a bright light appeared behind him. He turned around and shielded his eye from the glaring blue sun. Mabel did the same and somehow managed to turn around and get into a sitting position on the geyser.

Suddenly the darkness that surrounded the two disappeared and buildings and houses replaced it. The houses came in many different shades of blue, each one with a white, almost snow like roof. The tallest building couldn't have been bigger than four stories high. Most of the houses were small and about the size of the Mystery Shack. There were even buildings were smaller than Dipper and Mabel's bedroom back in Gravity Falls!

The town was very small and couldn't have held more than three hundred residents. There were a couple of people milling around that looked normal, but something about them wasn't right. They looked like humans. They had eyes, hands, hair, and all the things a normal person would have, yet something was wrong.

As they got higher, Bill simply glanced at everything with little to no interest while Mabel looked down in awe. Although the town was small, it had a certain charm to it. She thought it was cute.

She was so busy admiring the town that she didn't even notice that the geyser stopped moving upwards. But Bill did and his face finally showed some mild interest. He knew how this would end and it was going to be quite enjoyable in his opinion.

Mabel's eyes darted over to a couple of kids playing ball in what looked like a driveway. She smiled slightly at the sight. She remembered when her and Dipper were kids and would do things like that all the time. They would still do those things every once in a while but not as much as they used to.

Her thoughts came to screeching halt when she felt the water she was sitting on begin to disappear. All the color drained from her face and she looked up at Bill. Mabel saw his smirking face and her eyes narrowed at him. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

"Yep."

"And I'm guessing that you're not gonna help me either?"

"You're correct Shooting Star."

"Didn't we just make a pact that said we weren't going to kill each other? Plus, last time I checked, you need me alive."

"Once again, you're right. However, no one said I couldn't have any fun. So let's see how long it takes a Shooting Star to hit the ground." He smiled as the last bit of water holding Mabel up disappeared.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Mabel muttered under her breath. Then she began to fall.

Unlike when Bill was dropping her in the cave, Mabel couldn't hold in her scream. Bill could hear it loud and clear yet the people in the town didn't seem to notice it.

Bill couldn't contain his laughter and finally let it all out. He didn't know why, but seeing Mabel scream why she was falling to her death always seemed to make howl with laughter. With any other person he might have let out a few chuckles, but with her, it was different.

He decided to follow her down so he could get a closer look at her fear filled face. He flipped himself around so he was upside down and zoomed downward towards Mabel.

When he reached her, Bill pushed Mabel down so instead of going feet first towards the ground, she was going face first. Then he flew under her so Mabel was facing downward towards him and he was facing upwards towards her. Bill moved in so their faces were nearly touching. "How are you enjoying the fall Shooting Star?"

Mabel stopped her screaming and glared at him. "I _really_ hate you right now Bill, a _lot_ more than usual."

Bill shrugged. "I didn't expect anything less."

"Do you only take joy in watching me suffer?"

He shrugged again. "Mostly, but I feel content with other things."

"Like what?"

"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. And, sadly, I can't do that quite yet." He glanced down and saw that they were about to hit the ground. He quickly flew out from under Mabel and levitated in the air. He smiled a bit as he saw her about to hit the ground, then sighed and snapped his fingers.

Mabel hugged her body into a ball and tightened her muscles, preparing for the ground that would surely mean her doom. Yet, when her body reached the ground, it bounced her back up! Mabel looked down in shock as she was thrown back into the air. She fell back down but was thrown up again. The ground was like a giant bouncy house! Mabel closed her eyes and let out a laugh. This was actually fun!

The dream demon rolled his eye at the sight. He figured that she would think it was fun no matter how much he wished that what he did wasn't. But he only had a small time frame to think of something so he couldn't let it bother him too much.

When Mabel was finally bouncing low enough that she wouldn't break a bone, Bill snapped his fingers again and the ground turned back to normal.

Mabel straightened herself out and was able to land gracefully on her feet. A small crunch could be heard when her feet touched the ground and she looked to see if she had stepped on a bug or something. To her surprise, it was only the grass. But it wasn't the normal green grass one would usually see. This grass was a shimmering white that crunched like ice whenever someone stepped on it.

She broke away her gaze from the grass when she felt a thump on her head. She grabbed her head and looked up to see Bill with his cane in hand. Mabel raised her eyebrows at him questioningly. He simply rolled his eye in response. "We're not going to get anywhere if you spend all day looking at the grass."

Mabel sighed and let go of her head when the slight pain went away. "Well then Mr. Flying Dorito Man," Bill scowled at the name, "let's get going." Mabel walked past Bill in the direction to the town and he followed suit.

* * *

It took about a minute to enter the town. There was only a little field surrounding it so it was easy to get in. The second the two entered, the three kids who were playing ball, the ones Mabel saw before, turned to look at Mabel and Bill.

There were two girls and one guy. The first girl was the tallest and Mabel guessed she was the oldest. However, she still looked like she was only seven. She had medium length blond hair that was held back by purple headband. She was also a bit plump. Her eyes were a chocolate brown and they were larger than the other two's. Her nose and mouth were an average size. The young girl was wearing a long sleeved purple turtle neck with a short black skirt. She had on long black leggings with furry brown boots.

The second girl was the shortest and looked only a little bit younger than the first girl, maybe six. She had jet black hair pulled up into a high ponytail. She was skinnier than the first girl and she was the skinniest of the group. The girl had dark green eyes, a small nose, and an average sized mouth. She was wearing an orange sweater with a pair of blue jeans and had on the same pair of brown furry boots as the first girl.

Finally, the boy was taller than the second girl but shorter than the first. He also looked around the age of six. He had short, jet black hair and green eyes, nearly the same color as the second girl. Mabel guessed that he and the second girl were siblings. He had an average sized nose and a largish mouth. He was wearing a dark blue jacket with black sweatpants and had on black boots with a white design around the soles.

However, the one thing all the children had in common was their skin. It looked like it was made of _pure ice_. Their skin was light, almost clear and Mabel thought that if it was any clearer she could have seen right through them! But it didn't look like the ice-like skin would break. It seemed like it was the same texture a regular skin was.

Mabel smiled at the kids, then lifted up a hand and waved to them. The three kids continued to stare at the two, mostly Mabel, for a moment before they smiled at her and waved back. They glanced at Bill and looked at him questioningly. Bill glared at them and made a giant blue flame appear in his hand. He held it out to them threateningly and the kids took a couple of steps back and looked as if they were about to scream. Bill smiled even more and was about to throw the fire ball at them before Mabel stopped him.

" _Bill_!" She hissed.

He looked at her, a smile still playing on his lips. "What, we aren't going to be here long so I want to have fun while I can."

"You find hurting children fun?!"

Bill rolled his eye. "Please, I wasn't going to throw it _at_ them. I was just gonna throw it close enough to scare them. A lot."

Mabel slapped him lightly on the arm. "Bill, if you do that I _will_ find ways to make your life a complete nightmare!"

"My life already _is_ a nightmare! Why do you think I enjoy it so much?!"

"You know what I mean!"

Mabel glared at the dream demon and he glared right back. A couple seconds later, Bill read Mabel's mind and saw that she wouldn't budge on this. He let out a sigh and looked away. They didn't have time for this!

"Fine," Bill growled. He lowered his hand and made the fire disappear. Mabel smiled in satisfaction.

She returned her attention to the three kids and she noticed that they looked as if they were about to run away. "Wait!" Mabel called out before they could. The children's eyes went to hers and their faces seemed to calm down a little. Mabel began to walk towards them very slowly so she wouldn't scare them off. Bill watched with a slight bit of interest.

"It's okay," Mabel said softly. "I'm not gonna hurt you." When she came close enough, she held out her hand for any of the children to take. The three seemed to relax some more and the oldest one stepped forward and took Mabel's hand. Mabel expected the little girl's hand to be cold, but it was actually quite warm. Mabel smiled some more and then crouched down so she was at the girl's level. "Hi," she started, talking a bit louder." "My name's Mabel. What's yours?"

"M-my name?" Mabel nodded encouragingly. "It's Rebecca."

"Hi, Rebecca! It's very nice to meet you." Mabel's smile must have been contagious because Rebecca now had a smile on her face too.

"It's nice to meet you too Mabel." She turned around and pointed to the other two kids. "That's Josie," Rebecca pointed to the black haired girl. "And that's John," she pointed to the only boy."They're all my best friends in the world!" Mabel grinned and let go of Rebecca's hand, then held it out to Josie. She grabbed it immediately and began to rapidly shake it. Mabel smiled even more at the girl's enthusiasm.

"Hi! I'm Josie! It's really, really, really, really, _really_ …" She trailed off. "Amozong?" Josie let go of Mabel's hand and put a hand to her chin in thought. A frown appeared on her face. "Amazang? Amazong? Amizing?"

"Do you mean amazing?" Mabel asked.

The smile returned to Josie's face. "Yes, amazing! It's really, really, really, really, _really_ amazing to meet you!" Mabel returned the smile and giggled a little.

She turned and held her hand out for John to take. He looked at it hesitantly before shaking it. Mabel gave him a warm smile though and he returned it. She felt Josie tug on her arm and the young girl leaned in and whispered in Mabel's ear. "Sorry about my brother. He's really shy at first, but once you get to know him and he gets to know you, John's the most annoying person you'll ever meet!"

Mabel eyes darted over to Bill, who was floating in the air with a bored look on his face. Yet his eye stayed on Mabel and the group of kids. "I think your brother has some competition." Bill must have heard her because he rolled his eye afterwards. Mabel couldn't keep a small giggle from escaping.

Josie looked over at Bill then quickly stood behind Mabel. "He's not gonna hurt us, right?"

Mabel turned to Josie and ruffled her hair. "No, he's just a big buttface who likes to stop people from having fun." The kids laughed at Mabel's comment and Mabel's smile only grew.

A cough came from directly behind her and Mabel turned around to see that Bill was right next to her now. She let out a small yelp but stood her ground.

"Buttface," Mabel heard John mutter under his breath. The kids, including Mabel, all began to laugh at what John said. The scowl on Bill's face grew.

"Sorry to interrupt your little play date, but Shooting Star, you've seem to have forgotten why we are here."

The children smiled and began to look around. After a couple of seconds, their smile was replaced with a look of confusion. Rebecca voiced the question they were all thinking. "What shooting star?"

Mabel smiled at Rebecca. "Shooting Star is a, er, nickname Bill has for me." Mabel didn't know if the only name Bill called her was a nickname, but she decided to go with it.

"Oh." Rebecca grabbed the other two and told them it was just a nickname and John, Josie, and Rebecca were once again in front of Mabel. "So, buttface here-"

"My name is Bill," said dream demon growled at Rebecca. Her face showed a flash of fear but quickly went back to its happy state.

"So, _Bill_ here said that you were here for something. Maybe we can help you find it!"

Josie hands flew up. "Yeah! We're really great at finding things!" Mabel couldn't keep the smile off her face if she even tried. These kids were just so cute!

"Well," Mabel began, "we're looking for-" Bill's hand clamped around Mabel's mouth, stopping her from saying another word.

He glared at the children. "Could you excuse us for just one moment?" He quickly pulled Mabel aside but before he could go much farther, she bit his hand. "Ack! What the- You know, that doesn't feel too bad actually." Bill shook his head and pulled his hand away from Mabel's mouth. "No matter how good that felt, _what was that for_?!"

"I should be asking you that. Those kids could know where the shadow shard is!"

"But those kids could also be working for the shadows!"

Mabel gave him an 'are you kidding me" look. She groaned. "You can't be serious. They're just kids!"

"Never too young to become a murderer."

Mabel was about to scream at his stupidity when she saw the kids watching them. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. "Bill, I think we could tell if those kids were Shadows of the Underworld. And besides, they might be the only ones who will listen to us. We don't know what anyone else is like in this town and they might be our only chance."

Bill put a hand to his forehead and squeezed his eye shut. " _Fine_! But if they turn out to work for the shadows-"

"Which they won't!"

Bill ignored her. "Don't say I didn't warn you!"

Mabel rolled her eyes at the comment and walked back over to the kids.

"So what are you looking for?" Josie asked.

Mabel once again crouched down so she was face to face with the kids. "Well, what Bill and I," Mabel pointed at Bill who appeared behind her in all his scowling glory, "are looking for is something called a shadow shard. Have any of you ever heard of it?"

Josie, John, and Rebecca's eyes all widened. "Have we heard of it?!" Josie screamed. "Of course we've heard of it! It's one of the most important items in this town ever!"

"Besides the Crystal Tear Drop," John muttered.

Rebecca nodded in his direction. "Yeah, besides that."

Mabel looked at them, the confusion clear on her face. "What do you mean that it's one of the most important items?"

"The shadow shard is a very rare item. Right now the mayor has it, but if anyone ever wants to get it, they have to go through seven impossible tasks. If they fail even one, they lose and can _never_ try again. However, if that person completes all seven impossible tasks then they get the shadow shard!"

"Why is it a competition?"

"The mayor has had it for five years now. One day a person saw it and asked for it. He didn't have a need for money so he couldn't just sell it. Yet, he felt like only someone very special could have the shadow shard. So, he created the seven impossible tasks. Only if a person completes all seven of the tasks can they get the shadow shard."

"What are these seven tasks?"

Rebecca looked over at Josie and John, who both shrugged. Rebecca looked back at Mabel and did the same. "None of us know. The tasks change every time. They don't want a potential challenger to be able to study the tasks and know how to beat them easy as pie."

"And," John butted in, "no one has made it pass the fourth task."

Rebecca nodded again. "Yeah. The last challenger came three years ago. He made past the fourth task before losing the fifth one. We haven't had a challenger since."

Mabel nodded. "So, where does one go to start the seven impossible tasks?"

All three of them gasped. " _You_ want to do the seven impossible tasks?" Josie asked.

"Bill and I want the shadow shard so why not."

The three children shared a smile. "Well then," Josie grabbed Mabel's hand, "let's go!" Josie pulled Mabel forward and Mabel stumbled into a standing position. She had to run to keep up with the young girl. John and Rebecca looked at each other and ran after the two. Bill simply sighed and floated after them.

* * *

"We have a challenger!" Josie screamed to anyone who would listen. "We have a challenger!" She continued to pull Mabel through the town. As people heard what Josie was saying, they perked up and began to follow the little girl through the streets. Mabel looked around and noticed that _all_ the people in the town had ice-like skin.

Mabel turned her head around and squinted. There were about one hundred people behind her and even more were coming. However, if she looked close enough, every once in a while she would see a flash of yellow and black in the very back of the crowd.

After a couple more minutes of running, they reached what looked like the tallest building in the town. It was also one of the widest buildings. She had to guess that this was where the mayor lived.

Josie burst through the thick, oak doors and leaped into the main lobby. She finally let go of her death grip on Mabel's hand and put her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. When Josie finally looked up, she was met with the stunned gaze of many adults who looked like they worked at the place.

"Excuse me," a young woman, maybe in her thirties, walked up to Josie. The woman had long, ginger hair and muddy brown eyes. She was wearing a grey pantsuit with a black pair of slip ons. To top it all off, there was an extremely irritated look on her face. "What do you think your do-"

"We have a challenger!" Josie screamed before the woman could get any further.

The woman's angry face quickly went from surprised, to complete and utter shock in a matter of seconds. "Who?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Josie lifted a hand and pointed at Mabel. The woman's eyes flew over to her and she quickly grabbed Mabel's hand. Mabel winced at how tight the woman's grasp was. Then the woman began to pull Mabel down a long hallway. "My name is Kerry," was all the woman muttered before she turned back to face the group.

"No one moves until further notice." Kerry pointed towards a man who looked like a security guard. "Davis, watch them." He nodded and walked closer towards the group.

Kerry turned back around and continued to pull Mabel down the hallway. Mabel was a little shocked at this woman's force, but couldn't help but smile at the shadow floating along the wall next to her.

Mabel was pulled into the last door in the hallway and was faced with a rather small room. It was rectangular shaped with snow-like tiles and walls that looked like they were made of ice. There was a chandelier like light hanging from the ceiling and a large, wood desk occupied most of the room.

Sitting at that desk was a rather small man, only a about an inch or two taller than Rebecca. He had light brown hair that was cut short. His eyes were a dark blue and were an average size, just like his nose and mouth. He was wearing a black suit with a white shirt underneath it. And on his feet, it looked like he was wearing black boots, but Mabel couldn't be sure.

The man stood up and strode towards Kerry. She had to look down to see him as did Mabel. "What is the meaning of this Kerry," he snapped. Although he looked like a ten year old, he sounded the age of forty. "I told you that I can't be disturbed. I have very important documents to go through. I need to get them done as soon as possible. The sooner they're done, the sooner I can help the town."

"Yes, I know sir. But this is extremely important."

"More important than helping the town?"

Kerry grimaced. "Well, maybe? I'm not quite sure. It depends how you look at it."

"Stop speaking in riddles Kerry." The man turned his head and finally noticed Mabel. "And Kerry, who is she?"

"Sir, that's what I came to tell you. She's a challenger."

The man's face instantly went from stern to shock. "A challenger?!" Kerry nodded. The mayor pointed at Mabel. "And it's her?!" Kerry nodded again. His eyes widened even more. "Leave us." His voice was a whisper and Mabel had to strain her ears to hear him. Once again, Kerry nodded and she left the room.

The mayor walked to the door and Mabel kept her eyes on him. He stuck his head out and looked down the hallway to see if anyone was there. There wasn't. He pulled his head back in and shut the door with a thud.

"So, what are we supposed to do? Complete these seven impossible tasks while you sit around and eat snow cones."

The mayor let out a small scream while Mabel simply jumped a little. She was starting to get used to his sudden appearances. The two turned around to see Bill lounging on the mayor's desk. "Wh-who," the mayor stuttered, "the h-heck are y-you? And how d-did you g-get in here?!"

Mabel let out a shaky laugh. "Well sir… er. Sorry, I don't think I got your name."

"It's Nick."

"Nick. Nice name." The mayor smiled at Mabel's comment. "Well Nick, this is my, um, partner. His name is Bill…" She trailed off at the look Bill gave her. If he didn't want people to know who he was and went as far as become human…ish, then he probably didn't want her saying his last name. Bill was a pretty common name but Mabel didn't know anyone else who had the last name Cipher. Even if the mayor or anyone in this town _didn't_ know who Bill was, better safe than sorry.

Nick took a deep breath and composed himself. He walked up to Bill and held out a hand. "It's nice to meet you Bill." Bill only eyed the hand until Nick pulled it back. "Not one for handshakes. That's fine not everyone is." He shook his head and turned back to Mabel.

"So, _you_ want to do the seven impossible tasks to get the shadow shard?"

Mabel stepped closer to the mayor and made eye contact with him. "That's correct Nick."

"How did you name the shadow shard _shadow shard_?" Bill began talking before Nick could get another word out.

Nick turned to face Bill. The mayor had a strange look on his face. "We call it the shadow shard because it's a shard and it looks like it's made of shadows. Why do you ask?"

Bill shrugged. "No reason." Nick shook twisted his body so he was facing Mabel again.

"So, if you want to become a challenger, then you need to learn the rules." Mabel nodded. "First, you have to do this alone. Your friend can cheer you on," Bill rolled his eye at this, "but he cannot help you in the actual competition. Second, if you lose even one challenge, you can _never_ try again. No matter how much you may beg or bribe me, the answer will always be no. And the third rule, there is only one challenge per day so no asking if you can do two per day instead. Can you agree to-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Mabel and Nick looked at Bill, who was back to floating in the air. Apparently, he would rather hide his last name then his powers. Bill had an annoyed look on his face. "Are you telling me that we have to stay here a whole week?"

Nick ignored his question for a moment, stunned at the fact that Bill was flying. He pulled himself together though and looked Bill straight in the eye. "Yes, those are the rules, as they have been for half a decade now."

Mabel saw Bill's eye twitch and butted in before something bad happened. "I agree with the rules mayor and I am ready to start as soon as possible."

"Good," Nick said, a smile appearing on his face. "Then the tasks will start tomorrow. You will be provided a home where you can stay for as long as the tasks go on." The mayor grabbed her hand. "Now come. We have an announcement to make." Just like Josie and Kerry did, Nick began to drag Mabel out of the room and back towards the lobby. Mabel heard Bill growl and saw him following them.

When they entered the lobby, only a few people were still milling around. However, there was a giant commotion outside that the security guards were trying to handle. The mayor pulled Mabel out the door and to the very top of the steps. When the security guards saw the mayor they immediately stepped to the side. The crowd quieted down when they saw him.

Mabel looked back and saw Bill floating in the doorway, not bothering to move any farther.

The mayor squeezed Mabel's hand even tighter that Mabel was afraid the blood flow would stop. He threw both his own and her hand up to the sky. "Citizens of Glacier Town," Mabel could practically hear Bill complain how unoriginal the name was. She smiled a bit at the thought. Nick continued. "We have a challenger!"

There was silence for a couple of seconds.

And then the noise was overwhelming.

Every person in the crowd was cheering. Young, old, kids, adults, anyone and everyone were cheering. For a town with only three hundred people, they made a lot of noise. The loudest cheers though were coming from the three kids at the very front of the crowd: Josie, John, and Rebecca. Mabel waved at the three and their grins grew and they cheered even louder. She looked behind the kids and saw what looked like their parents. They gave a small wave Mabel's way and Mabel returned it.

After a couple more minutes of cheering, Nick held up the hand not holding Mabel's and the people quieted down. Nick was finally able to speak again. "The first task will begin tomorrow and our challenger…" Nick trailed off. His skin got lighter (if that was even possible) and a shaky laugh escaped his mouth. He stood on his tiptoes to whisper in Mabel's ear. "Er, I don't believe I got your name."

Mabel bent down to whisper in his ear. "It's Mabel." Nick smiled and Mabel stood back up.

"Our challenger, Mabel, will begin her first task at noon! Let the seven impossible tasks begin!"

* * *

 **This was going to be longer, but I decided to cut it off there. In fact, this was 15,000 words in all! But I think that it's better if I end it here.**

 **However, since I feel so bad about making all you amazing people wait three weeks for this chapter, I have a surprise… The next chapter is coming out today! That's right, _two_ chapters in one day! I was going to leave them both as one really long chapter, but I felt like I would be rushing the story if I did. And I _hate_ rushing stories.**

 **Rushing stories is something I need to ask you guys though. Do you guys think I'm rushing the story? I'm trying to make sure it's going at a steady pace. However, I can't be sure because I always find something to worry about in my chapters. So I'm never certain if it's just me worrying about it and the chapter's fine, or if I was really rushing it. Please leave some feedback on that. It would help me a lot.**

 **I still need ideas for realms! If you have one, feel free to tell me!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please R &R, follow, and favorite. If you have any criticisms or things you think I should improve on, leave a review! I love to hear what you guys have to say!**

 **I'll see you guys in the next chapter… I hope. If the next chapter isn't up today, that means I died from doing the Bean Boozled Challenge. I am being forced to do it against my will! If you don't see the next chapter up today, you know what happened! Wish me luck!**

 **Until then…**

 **Peace! _GamerFan369_**


	7. The Seventh Impossible Task

**I did it! I am alive! I survived the Bean Boozled Challenge! Woo hoo!**

 **Anyways, as I promised, here's the next chapter! And in less than twelve hours!**

 **Just a quick heads up before the chapter starts, I'm only going to be describing the last of the seven impossible tasks. I would go into more detail about all of them, but they all start and end basically the same way. The only difference would be the actual challenge. I don't want to bore you so I'll mention what the tasks were, I just won't go into detail about them.**

 **Now for the reviews…**

 ** _Mylittlesonamy123_** **: I'm so glad you thought the chapter was amazing! But, you'll have to wait and see if Mabel wins the challenge!**

 ** _Guest_** **: You'll have to read this chapter to find out what happens!**

 **Thanks all you amazing people for reviewing.**

 **This idea for this realm was by** ** _Sarstar98_** **. I only changed a couple of details and added some things. The idea for the realm was created by her/him. Thanks for the idea!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls. It is owned by the fantastic Alex Hirsch and Disney. I also don't own Reese's, One Direction, the Hindenburg, the Bean Boozled Challenge, Hannaford's, or Market Basket!**

* * *

"Let the seven impossible tasks end!" Bill face planted into his pillow on his bed. Both he and Mabel currently shared a room. Apparently the house they were staying in only had one bedroom so they had to share. Luckily there were two beds. Bill didn't usually sleep but apparently he had access to his Mindscape when he did. So, he had been trying to sleep whenever he had the chance to. He didn't particularly like this town. Everyone was too perky for his taste. Except for Kerry. He simply thought she was annoying.

They had been in Glacier Town for a week and the last task was tomorrow. So far Mabel had completed the scavenger hunt, the frozen dive, the snowflake count, the math challenge (Mabel barely passed that one), the card house challenge, and the hide and seek hunt. There was one last task to go and Bill couldn't wait for this all to be over.

"I can't wait to get out of this place," Bill muttered into his pillow.

Mabel rolled her eyes for what had to be the billionth time that week. "I know you want to get out of here but can you please stop whining about it?" Mabel had to deal with his complaining all week about how much he hated the town. The only time he wasn't complaining about it was when they were trying to predict what the next task would be. They had been wrong most of the time but it gave them something to do at the very least. And although she wouldn't admit it to Bill, she kind of enjoyed hearing about all the crazy things he thought would be the next challenge.

She threw herself on the bed and turned to face Bill. The dream demon pushed himself up and turned to his side so he was looking at her. "Please," he scoffed, "I know whining and this isn't it."

Mabel sighed and placed her head on her pillow. She had already changed into her pajamas. She had on a long sleeved purple top with white flowers around the edges and had on matching purple pants. "Bill," she mumbled turning away from him, "I just want to get some sleep. I want to be well rested for the last task tomorrow and I don't need your complaining keeping me up. So I suggest that you go asleep and do whatever you need to in your Mindscape." Bill didn't need to go into Mabel's brain while they were in this realm so he didn't even bother to go into her mind. For some reason, the shadows couldn't reach her while she was here.

Bill sighed and turned away from Mabel. In minutes, she heard his breathing steady out and he was asleep. Mabel closed her eyes and tried to sleep too but it seemed impossible.

* * *

After an hour she was still wide awake and bored.

She glanced over to Bill for the twelfth time that hour. She scowled at the smirk that was on his lips. Even in his sleep he was still annoying her. All she wanted to do at that moment was wipe that stupid smirk off his face.

 _Wait_ she thought. Mabel sat up as an idea formed in her mind. A small smirk of her own appeared on her face. _Maybe I can._

* * *

Bill woke up with a groan. He had spent the night in his Mindscape trying to figure out where the next shadow shard was but so far he had no luck. He knew that finding them were going to be difficult, but he had been looking for the past week and still nothing.

He slowly got up and straightened out his clothes. He never changed so everything he wore was full of wrinkles. He snapped his finger and they turned straight and crisp again. He lifted a hand and rubbed his eye to get the sleep out of it. He rarely ever slept and this was the first time in a billion years. He didn't really like how he felt in the morning.

The dream demon sighed and looked over at Mabel's bed. He frowned when he saw that Mabel wasn't there. All the tasks had made her tired and she usually slept in till eleven.

Bill sighed again and deduced that she was in the kitchen, probably drinking a glass of Mabel juice. He wasn't exactly rushing over to go and try it.

He jumped into the air and began to float. He made his way over to the door and threw it open.

Then he felt a bucket full of something wet and cold fall on his head.

He was too shocked to say anything. He just floated in place, taking in what had just happened.

But then he heard laughter.

Bill wiped the snow off of his face and head and looked over to see Mabel on the ground, laughing her heart out. The dream demon narrowed his eye at her and scowled. He grabbed his hat and wiped the snow of it. After it was clean, he placed it back on his head and snapped his fingers, clearing the rest of his body from the snow. He didn't bother drying his clothes off.

"Y-you-Ha!" Mabel struggled to talk through her laughter. Her plan was so simple that she didn't actually think it would work. But low and behold, it did! "You should h-have-Ha!- seen th-the look on your- Ha, ha!- face! Ha!" Mabel closed her eyes and clutched her stomach. It hurt so much because of her laughter, but at the moment, she couldn't care less!

Bill's eye narrowed as he looked at her laughing figure. He couldn't have just gotten pranked by a… by a flesh bag! A _girl_ none the less! Bill's hands clenched into fists.

"So," Mabel heard Bill growl. Mabel opened her eyes to see an angry look on Bill's face. His voice finally calmed her down and she was finally able to catch her breath. She stood up from her position on the ground and looked at him. Even his glare couldn't keep the smile off her face. "You think this is funny, don't you Shooting Star?"

"Of course it's funny. There was a bucket of snow falling on your head! You should have seen your face!"

"Well then, if you think this is funny," Bill snapped his fingers again and the whole entire house was full of snow, "then this will be hilarious." He bent down and grabbed a handful of snow. Mabel's eyes widened.

"Oh no. You are not…" Mabel trailed off at the smile that was on Bill's face.

"I suggest you run, Shooting Star." Mabel shrieked as a ball of snow whizzed past her. She turned around and scrambled down the hallway. She saw the entrance to the office out of the corner of her eye and she dove into the room. When she was in there, she hid behind a chair and created her own snowball.

"You think you can hide from me Shooting Star?!" Bill let out a laugh and flew after Mabel. When he entered the office, he was hit with a snowball in the face.

"I think I can Bill!" The dream demon heard where her voice was coming from and blindly threw it in that direction. He must have hit his target because he heard a yelp. He rubbed the snow from his face and saw Mabel with snow on her face too. She wiped it off and sent a playful smile his way. Bill returned it and flew out of the room. "Don't think you can get away that easily Bill!"

"Don't think you can catch _me_ that easily Shooting Star!" He flew closer to the ground so he could pick up some snow. When he turned around and saw that Mabel was right on his tail and she also had a snowball in her hand. Even though she kept tripping every few seconds, she still managed to keep up with him.

He threw his own snowball at her and Mabel ducked down. It grazed her head and some of her hair was covered in snow. She shook her head to get it off.

Mabel threw her snowball at him but he easily moved out of the way. He laughed even more. "Nice try Shooting Star, but you're going to have do better than-ack!" With an evil smile, Mabel jumped forward and grabbed the end of Bill's tailcoat. Bill was pulled down and he landed face first into the pile of snow. Mabel laughed at the sight but Bill wasn't done. Bill grabbed her leg and pulled her down with him. She shrieked and went down in the snow next to him.

They both pushed themselves up at the same time. They looked at each other and shared a grin. "It's on," Mabel said.

"Oh, it is definitely on," Bill replied. They jumped up and that's when they realized that they were in the living room. They shared one last look before they each went to opposite sides of the room, preparing themselves for battle.

Their snowball fight went on for a good ten minutes. They each got hit by snowballs and fell into the snow. A lot. Bill couldn't remember if he had ever had a snowball fight and if he probably never would have if Mabel hadn't dumped that snow on his head. In fact, the last time he laughed this much was during Weirdmageddon! This game had no rules, the only objective was pelting other people with balls of snow and ice, and both he and Mabel were simply going crazy trying to hit each other.

He wasn't causing people harm, he wasn't making deals, and he wasn't even turning the world into a crazy nightmare that he absolutely loved. Bill was doing none of that.

He was only having a snowball fight, yet he was having fun. With a human that he hated.

They probably would have kept going if there hadn't been a knock on the door. Mabel and Bill both stopped their fight and stopped laughing when they heard it. They both glanced to the door, a questioning look on both their faces.

Mabel gathered snow in her hand and made a snowball. She held it up to Bill, the plan clear on her face. A wicked grin played on the dream demon's lips. He created his own snowball and the two slowly made their way towards the door.

"Come in," Mabel called, preparing to throw the snowball. The door knob twisted and Mabel and Bill pulled their arm back. Then the door opened and they released the snowballs. They sailed and hit their target.

Kerry's face.

From what the two could see due to the snow on her face, Kerry was horrified at what happen. Then Mabel let out a couple of giggles. And Bill began to chuckle. Seconds later the two were on the ground laughing like there was no tomorrow. They didn't even care that the snow was getting in their clothes. The only thing the two could focus on was the look on Kerry's face.

The woman herself growled and wiped the snow off her face. She trudged her way through the snow, grabbed Mabel's wrist, and pulled her up and off of the ground. When she was off of the ground, Mabel finally stopped laughing and looked at Kerry. Bill calmed down too and he picked himself up. He jumped in the air and started to float again.

Kerry pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. "The seventh task is going to start soon. The mayor wants you down there right now." Kerry glanced at Mabel's soggy pajamas in disgust. "I suggest you change first." Mabel's cheeks reddened a bit and she nodded. She ran to her bedroom the best she could but ended up slipping and sliding due to all the snow.

Five minutes later, Mabel reappeared with the same outfit she wore the first day Bill and her came to Glacier Town. Kerry nodded in satisfaction. "Good. The event is scheduled to begin in five minutes so let's hurry." Kerry turned around and briskly walked out the door. Mabel was right behind her and Bill was a few feet behind. The door shut with a bang.

* * *

When they were a few minutes away from the plaza, Kerry spoke with them. "Just so you two know, I did _not_ enjoy being pelted by snowballs. I hope you never do it again." She didn't even bother to turn to look at them.

"Yes, but the look on your face was worth it," Bill muttered under his breath. "At least Shooting Star here understands that." The two heard Kerry growl at the comment and Mabel and Bill both let out a small laugh. Mabel held up a hand for Bill to high five and he did just that.

Then he finally realized what had been happening the past half an hour.

 _I just had fun with Shooting Star_ Bill thought in shock.

Bill's eye widened and he grabbed Mabel's arm to stop her from going any farther. She looked at him, the confusion clear on her face. He bent down and whispered in her ear, his voice low and dangerous. "Everything that happened back there never happened. We never speak of it to anyone. No matter how much one may torture you, you never speak of this. Am I clear?" Mabel was confused at what he was saying until it finally hit her.

 _I just had fun with Bill Cipher_ Mabel thought in surprise.

She turned to him and her eyes narrowed. "Agreed." She shook free of Bill's grasp and ran to catch up with Kerry. Bill swallowed the lump in his throat and followed her.

* * *

"Citizens of Glacier Town, today our challenger, Mabel, will be facing the last of the seven impossible tasks!" A cheer went up in the crowd at the mayors words. He waited for them to quiet down before he continued. "Mabel is the first person to ever make it this far and if she wins, she will be awarded the shadow shard!" The cheering continued, this time twice as long.

Nick motioned for Mabel to stand beside him. She made her way up the steps and stood next to the podium and the rather tall stool the Nick was standing on. The cheers only intensified when she came up.

Mabel scanned the crowd and once again saw Josie, John, and Rebecca in the front. She already said her goodbyes to them, just in case she and Bill had to leave quickly after the last task. It was a tearful goodbye and Mabel promised that if she could, she would visit again.

Right now, everyone was standing in the plaza. It was circular and the 'stones' were made of ice and snow. Many different stores surrounded the plaza and four different roads went off of it. The stage where the mayor, Mabel, and Kerry were standing was set up around the edge of it. The crowd was everywhere else and all the people of Glacier town were squeezed together. Not a single spot was empty except for one place. A rectangular table was holding something but Mabel couldn't see what it was due to the white sheet on top of it.

"This task is the hardest out of any of them," the mayor continued. "It will determine whether Mabel has proved herself worthy for the shadow shard." Nick turned to Mabel to address her but still talked loud enough that the crowd could hear. "However, if you don't complete this task, you lose and can never try again. Do you understand these rules?"

"I do," Mabel replied.

"Then are you ready for the seventh impossible task?"

Mabel threw her fist in the air. "I am!" she cheered.

Nick smiled. "Then let's get on with the final challenge." A cheer began once more as Mabel was led by Kerry to the middle of the plaza. They stopped at the table covered by the white sheet. Kerry let go of Mabel's hand and made her way back up to where the mayor was standing. Mabel glanced at the sheet, but her eyes were drawn away by a flash of yellow and black appearing at the front of the crowd. He always seemed to get to the front. Mabel shook her head at this.

"Lift the sheet," the mayor commanded. Two security guards came from the side and lifted the sheet to reveal seven tubs. What was in them, Mabel didn't have the slightest idea. "The final challenge," the mayor said in a low, dramatic voice "is…" he paused for dramatic effect. The crowd was the quietest it has ever been and everyone's eyes were on the mayor.

"The seven tub ice cream task."

Mabel's eyes practically popped out of her sockets at the words _ice cream_. Everyone in the crowd cheered and Mabel looked over to see the security guards popping off the lids of the tubs to reveal seven different flavors of ice cream. Mabel now had a good idea as to why they asked if she was allergic to anything.

"The challenger, Mabel, has thirty minutes to eat seven tubs of ice cream. If she does, she wins the shadow shard. If she doesn't, she loses and can never try again." The mayor pointed at Mabel. "Challenger Mabel, are you ready?!"

Mabel licked her lips as she looked at the ice cream. "Dipper's about to eat his words," she mumbled under her breath. She turned and smiled at the mayor. "I'm ready Nick!"

Nick smiled once again. "Then let the seventh impossible task… begin!" Another giant cheer went up as Mabel dove for a tub of Reese's peanut butter cup ice cream. A security guard handed her a spoon and she dove into the tub.

* * *

The crowd was so focused on Mabel that no one noticed Kerry whispering to Nick. "Are you sure about this? Nick, you know what happens if she actually wins right? She'll get the shadow shard!"

"Of course she'll get the shadow shard. It's the whole entire point of the seven impossible tasks!"

"Yes, but what if she and her partner are looking for the all the shards? If you let them have it and those two _are_ looking for the rest of the shards, do you know what _they_ will do to you? _They'll_ hurt you, or worse!"

"I know what I'm doing," Nick spit out through his smile. "And if Mabel does win, I still have one more trick up my sleeve. However, I'll give those two the shard, simple as that."

Kerry's eyes widened. "But Nick," she gasped, " _they_ won't hesitate to _kill_ you if they do."

"Not if I give them useful information." Nick's eyes left Mabel and went to Bill, who was watching Mabel devour the tub of ice cream with a small smile on his face. "He should really be more careful. I mean, how strong is Mabel without her dream demon? How strong is Mabel without Bill Cipher?"

* * *

The crowd started to count down from ten and Mabel still had a bite to go. She wearily lifted the spoon to her lips and put the ice cream in her mouth. Then at two seconds left, she swallowed. Mabel dropped the last empty tub and threw her hands up in victory. Another cheer came from the crowd as the challenger completed the final impossible task.

"She did it!" The mayor screamed form the stage. "For the first time ever someone has completed the seven impossible tasks! Or should I say, the seven _possible_ tasks. We have a winner! We have a winner!" Kerry came down from the stage before the press or anyone else could get any closer. Apparently, even in a small town they had newspapers. Kerry grabbed Mabel in her death grip and started pulling Mabel towards the mayor's house. "The mayor will meet you there," Kerry shouted over the crowd.

People were reaching out trying to get high fives and Mabel happily obliged much to Kerry's disgust. Mabel high fived the children first before going to the adults. She high fived everyone and anyone before they were past the crowd and security guards cut them off. However, security couldn't stop Bill from flying over them and floating near Mabel. "Nice job," he muttered. "We're once step closer to getting all the shadow shards and stopping the Shadows of the Underworld once and for all." Mabel thought she saw Bill give her a smile but it was gone in the blink of an eye. She shrugged, thinking she only imagined it.

Once again, Mabel was dragged into the mayor's office at the end of the hall and much to Mabel's surprise, Nick was already there.

The minute Mabel entered; Nick stood up and rushed over to give her hand a shake. "Well done Mabel, well done! You are the first person to _ever_ complete the seven impossible tasks! Well done!" He then turned his attention to Kerry and his tone went from cheery to serious. "Kerry, leave us." The woman nodded and left the room, shutting the door behind her. After she was gone, Nick's attention was back on Mabel.

"Thank you Nick," Mabel said with a smile, "it was an honor and a lot of fun."

"I'm glad. What's the point in a competition if it isn't fun?"

Mabel laughed and was about to reply before Bill cut in. "Yes, it was a very… _interesting_ week," he said through gritted teeth. "But we would really like the shadow shard now. We have places to go, things to do."

"Ah, want to leave so quickly I see. Was our little town that horrible?"

"Not at all Nick," Mabel said before Bill could speak. "In fact, I would _love_ to stay longer, but Bill is right. We really need to go."

Nick nodded. "I see. You probably didn't expect it to take this long."

"No, not really."

"Its fine, you're not the first one to think that." Nick shook his head. "But enough small talk! You're here for the shadow shard." Nick walked behind his desk and bent down. He looked up at the bottom of the desk and clicked a button that blended into the wood. Mabel and Bill turned their head at the sound of a panel opening in the wall. When the piece of wall was gone, a safe was revealed.

"Whoa," Mabel whispered.

Nick grinned at her expression and walked over to the safe. He put in the numbers _618_ and the safe door popped open. Then he slowly and carefully lifted out the shadow shard. Mabel gasped at the sight of it.

The shadow shard looked like a thick piece of dark glass. It was small and was only a little bit longer than Mabel's hand. She could easily hold it. It looked smooth but Mabel couldn't be quite sure. It was surrounded by wispy purple and black shadows that were the same color as the portals the Shadows of the Underworld could make.

Nick walked over to Mabel and carefully handed the shard to her. Her eye's never left the shard even when Nick started talking again. "It's your Mabel. You won it fair and square."

Bill snapped his fingers making a red velvet bag with gold string at the top appear in his hands. He opened it and held it towards Mabel. She gently placed the shadow shard in the bag and Bill tied it shut. With a wave of his hand, the bag was gone again.

"So, you want to get home now correct?" Both Mabel and Bill nodded. "As you may have already known, you can't transport in or out of this place due to the barrier. Sorry about that. We don't exactly like intruders."

"It's fine." Mabel waved it off.

"Actually," Bill growled.

"Its fine," Mabel hissed at him before he could say anything else. Bill glared at Mabel but said nothing else.

Nick continued as if he hadn't heard Bill. "So, you can't transport in or out and we only have one exit." He grimaced. "Sadly it is the same as our entrance so… Good luck! And feel free to visit Glacier Town anytime!" Nick quickly pushed another hidden button on his desk before either one of them could object.

"What?!" Bill screamed. But his yelling was in vain because Mabel grabbed his arm before she fell down the trap door that opened beneath her feet, causing Bill down go down with her.

They both let out screams but for a different reason. Mabel was screaming because of her fear of heights and Bill was screaming that he was going to murder the mayor for making him go down this hole.

"Really Shooting Star?! You had to drag me down too?!" Bill notice they were reaching the bottom and quickly ripped away his arm from Mabel's grasp. Right when they entered the ice cave part of the geyser, Bill stopped himself from falling by floating. Mabel, however, continued her fall and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Ouch," she muttered. She rubbed her butt, trying to make the pain go away. She didn't know how she landed on her butt, but she did.

"Are you kidding me?!" Mabel looked up to see that Bill was glaring at the hole at the top of the geyser. She also noticed that his clothes were starting to change color. "Why, out of all places, did you have to put me here?! Are you trying to make me suffer?!"

"Bill!" Mabel called just before his clothes turned to red and glowing white.

He glanced down at her and glared. "What?"

"Yelling isn't gonna get you anywhere. They can't hear you! There's no point in getting mad. You're going to be down here no matter what you do."

Bill growled in frustration, and then paused. Slowly his clothes started to turn back to their original yellow and black. You're _right_ Shooting Star," Bill hissed through gritted teeth.

Mabel smiled in satisfaction. "I know I am."

Bill floated down so he was closer to the ground. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

"Says the person with the giant ego," she snorted. Bill gave her a look but said nothing else.

* * *

A half hour of silence went by before anyone spoke. "So," Bill drawled. Mabel turned away from her ice drawing and glanced at Bill. The dream demon smirked a bit. "I never knew you were one for pranks."

Mabel's eyes lit up. "Are you kidding me? I love them! I play pranks on Dipper all the time. That's where I got the idea for dropping a bucket of snow on your head. I do it all the time to Dipper in the Winter so it was easy. It was even easier since this whole entire realm is made of snow." Bill noticed that she was talking about what happened this morning when they both agreed not to, but it was only to him. He decided to let it slide.

"Well then, apparently I do have something in common with you, no matter how much I wish I didn't."

"Really?"

Bill's smirk grew. "Yes, like you, I also enjoy pranks. Although, to you flesh bags they're more like natural disasters. "

Mabel raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Well, have you heard of the Hindenburg?"

"Yes…" She trailed off, figuring out where this was going.

"Well I won't bore you with the details," his smirk went to a sadistic grin, "but I'm the reason it burned down."

"Really Bill?"

"What? It was fun!"

"Is that the worst prank you've done?" Mabel crossed her arms waiting for an answer.

Bill cocked his head. "Well for some people yes. But others think that the worst prank I did was being the reason for Zayn leaving One Direction."

Mabel's eyes widened. "You're the one that did that?"

"Yes and you flesh bags think that's worse than the Hindenburg." Bill paused for a moment, prepared for Mabel to start yelling at him. But she surprised him once again when she started laughing. Bill raised an eyebrow at her reaction. "What? What's so funny?"

After another minute of non-stop laughing, Mabel finally calmed down. "Sorry, but I was so _relieved_ when Zayn left One Direction."

Bill had to force his jaw to stay put. He was completely flabbergasted. "You actually _enjoyed_ my prank?!"

"I wanted that group to break up for a long time. Seems it didn't work though. One gone is better than none though." Mabel quickly laughed at her comment.

"But wait, I thought you loved boy bands?" Bill questioned.

"I do. Even if they are no longer doing concerts, Several Timez is still the most awesome boy band ever!" She punched her fist in the air while Bill simple rolled his eyes.

"I thought that you would have hated a band that turned out to be a bunch of clones."

Mabel scowled at the dream demon. "Shut up Bill." He smiled a bit at the comeback. It was always nice to have someone who stood up against him. It made things interesting.

Bill changed the subject back to pranks. "So, you find pranks like the One Direction One funny?" Mabel nodded and Bill's smile only grew. "Then do I have some stories to tell you."

* * *

" _Where did I put the nitrogen_?" Lily muttered under her breath. She pushed bottles of different liquids and gasses aside until she found the bottle she was looking for. She smiled and quickly grabbed the small vile. She moved over to the giant metal pot that was on her steel work table and poured the nitrogen in. She snapped the lid to the metal pot shut before anything could get out.

She turned on the burner under the table it let the pot heat up for five minutes. When the time was up, Lily lifted the lid off the pot to make sure the contents were boiling. They were. She shut the lid again and attached to wire to the side of the pot. Then she walked over to the cement wall and flicked a switch.

Electricity traveled up the wires, onto the pot, and into the contents inside of it. Luckily, there was no explosion this time and Lily turned the electricity off before there was one.

She moved back over to the pot and levitated the cover off it. She looked inside and saw that the contents were a murky green and purple. She smiled at the result. Using her other hand, Lily levitated a small glass bottle over and dipped it inside the pot to get its contents. When the bottle was full, she grabbed it and dropped the cover back on the pot with a clang.

Lily made purple and black fire appear in her hand and the fire engulfed the bottle. She left it like that for a minute and then made the fire despair. What was left in the bottle was a blood red liquid. She brought the bottle close to her chest and closed her yes. " _Please work_ ," was all she whispered before she brought the bottle to the lips and drank.

She lowered the hand with the bottle in it and waited. After a moment her toes began to feel numb. " _Yes,_ " she gasped. The numb feeling started moving farther up her feet, but then it suddenly stopped and the feeling went away. Lily stood there shocked.

" _No,_ " she whispered. Then her eyes narrowed and her hold on the bottle tightened. " _No!_ " she screamed before throwing the bottle to the nearest wall. She stood her ground, fuming. However, she heard a voice a minute later.

" _Excuse me?_ " a timid voice behind her asked.

She whipped around and glared at the shadow. " _What?_ " she shouted.

The shadow took a couple steps back. " _Th-there's a call for you in the throne room, Miss Lily._ "

Lily sighed and motioned towards the door. " _Tell them that I'll be there in a moment Nathan._ " Nathan nodded and exited the room. Lily waved her hand and the mess she made was cleaned up. Once she was satisfied with the results, she left her personal lab and made her way to the throne room.

The throne room was the darkest place in the 'castle' one might call it, but it was really more of a giant building. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all made from obsidian and the only light was provided by black and purple fire coming from torches lined up against the wall. At the very end of the room were obsidian steps that led up to a giant throne made of purple velvet and (of course) obsidian.

Lily wished that the throne wasn't so big, but it belonged to her old master and she wanted something to remind her why he was gone. She wanted something to remind her why she _had_ to kill him.

Lily took a seat in the throne and waved her hand. A giant, grey flickering screen appeared before her. " _Caller one_." At her words, the screen stopped flickering and an image appeared instead. It was the mayor's office from the Glacier Forest realm. And in the picture were Nick, the mayor, and Kerry, the mayor's assistant. Lily sighed at the sight. " _What do you want?_ " The boredom was clear in her voice.

Nick looked like he was about to say something but Kerry cut in. "Someone has the shadow shard," she nearly screamed, her voice full of worry.

Lilly sat up straighter and her purple eyes narrowed at the two. " _What_ _did you say_?"

Nick put a hand behind his head and laughed nervously. "You see, someone completed the seven impossible tasks so I had to give it to her."

Lily slammed a hand down on the armrest of the throne. " _You fool! You said that the seven impossible tasks were just that! Impossible! And look at that! Someone already has the shadow shard! What if this person is trying to collect all five of the shards?! I can't let that happen!"_

"Well, she was just a girl in our defense. Only seventeen! In fact, the only reason she might have been there was because of her partner-"

" _Wait!_ " Lily interrupted before Nick could get any farther. " _Did you say a seventeen year old girl?_ "

Nick swallowed the lump in his throat. "Y-yes?"

" _Was her name Mabel Pines?_ "

Nick could feel the cold sweat falling down his forehead and it was very rare for people to sweat in that realm. "Yes?"

Lily slammed her hand on the armrest again. " _You two are complete and utter imbeciles! Mabel Pines is the person I want dead!_ "

Both Kerry and Nick's eyes widened. "I-it is?!" Kerry stuttered out.

" _Yes! The only reason she wanted the shard was so that she can be one step closer to trapping my people and I in the horrid place! Why you id-_ " Lily cut herself off. She replayed what Nick said in her mind before she interrupted him. Lily took a deep breath and spoke again, this time much calmer. " _You said that Miss Pines had a partner. Who is it?_ "

Nick smiled in relief. "You see Lily, here's the best part."

" _There's hardly a good part in this!_ " she shouted.

Nick continued as if she had never spoken in the first place. "You see, the person, or should I say _being_ , she is working with is none other than Bill Cipher."

Lily said nothing for a full minute. Then, " _If it was Bill Cipher who was helping her, why didn't you tell me sooner? How did you not find it odd the Bill was helping some random girl out?_ "

"Well we didn't actually know it was Bill until half way through the week and the tasks had already started. We couldn't have just stopped them for no apparent reason. That would have been suspicious."

Lily swore that newborn babies were smarter than these two. " _How could you not have known that it was Bill Cipher!? He's a triangle for crying out loud!_ "

"But that's the thing Lily. He wasn't. He was a human! The only reason I knew it was him was because of his powers."

The shadow looked out the two for a moment before she burst out laughing. " _Okay, now I know that you two are lying to me! Bill would never become human!_ "

Nick scowled. "You really think so?" Lily nodded. "Well then see for yourself. Kerry, the video." Kerry nodded and went of Lily's view. When she appeared again, a small TV on wheels was with her. She reached up and pressed the play button and the moved out of the way so that Lily could have a better view. The screen was full of static for a few moments but then showed a video of the mayor's office that must have been taken at least a week ago.

There were two people in the room, the mayor and Mabel. Lily narrowed her eyes at Mabel and watched the video play.

* * *

 _The mayor walked to the door and Mabel kept her eyes on him. He stuck his head out and looked down the hallway to see if anyone was there. There wasn't. He pulled his head back in and shut the door with a thud. A flash appeared on the mayor's desk but the two didn't seem to notice it. After the light went away, a man with yellow and black clothes on appeared. He straightened his black top hat and bow tie before speaking._

 _"So, what are we supposed to do? Complete these seven impossible tasks while you sit around and eat snow cones."_

 _The mayor let out a small scream while Mabel simply jumped a little. The two turned around to see the man lounging on the mayor's desk. "Wh-who," the mayor stuttered, "the h-heck are y-you? And how d-did you g-get in here?!"_

 _Mabel let out a shaky laugh. "Well sir… er. Sorry, I don't think I got your name."_

 _"It's Nick."_

 _"Nick. Nice name." The mayor smiled at Mabel's comment._ _"Well Nick, this is my, um, partner. His name is Bill…" She trailed off at the look Bill gave her._

 _Nick took a deep breath and composed himself. He walked up to Bill and held out a hand. "It's nice to meet you Bill." Bill only eyed the hand until Nick pulled it back. "Not one for handshakes. That's fine not everyone is." He shook his head and turned back to Mabel._

 _"So, you want to do the seven impossible tasks to get the shadow shard?"_

 _Mabel stepped closer to the mayor and made eye contact with him. "That's correct Nick."_

 _"How did you name the shadow shard shadow shard?" Bill began talking before Nick could get another word out._

 _Nick turned to face Bill. The mayor had a strange look on his face. "We call it the shadow shard because it's a shard and it looks like it's made of shadows. Why do you ask?"_

 _Bill shrugged. "No reason." Nick twisted his body so he was facing Mabel again._

 _"So, if you want to become a challenger, then you need to learn the rules." Mabel nodded. "First, you have to do this alone. Your friend can cheer you on," Bill rolled his eye at this, "but he cannot help you in the actual competition. Second, if you lose even one challenge, you can never try again. No matter how much you may beg or bribe me, the answer will always be no. And the third rule, there is only one challenge per day so no asking if you can do two per day instead. Can you agree to-"_

 _"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Mabel and Nick turned to look at Bill, who was back to floating in the air. Bill had an annoyed look on his face. "Are you telling me that we have to stay here a whole week?"_

 _Nick ignored his question for a moment, stunned at the fact that Bill was flying. He pulled himself together though and looked Bill straight in the eye. "Yes, those are the rules, as they have been for half a decade now."_

 _Mabel saw Bill's eye twitch and butted in before something bad happened. "I agree with the rules mayor and I am ready to start as soon as possible."_

* * *

The video ended and Kerry and Nick turned back to Lily. "So unless there is another demon that has the name Bill with a strange, echoy voice and does magic like that, I'd like to know."

Lily sat in her throne, stunned. Without another word she waved her hand and the screen disappeared. She didn't have any reason to talk to those two idiots now. "So," she whispered, "Mabel has Bill Cipher on her side." A twisted smile slid onto her face. "Looks like it's time he sees what happens when a dream demon messes with shadows."

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me! My Mom said she was gonna kill the person who caused her to shop at Hannaford's!" Mabel fell to the ground laughing and Bill smiled.

"But it's true! I will admit, it was one of my weaker pranks, but I loved seeing everyone at Market Basket go on strike! I did it in hopes it would cause all the stores in the world to go on strike and there would be another world wide disaster but," he shrugged, "it still caused a lot of havoc. And havoc is a good thing in my line of work."

"Yes, but now my mother is after you dead or alive! Preferably dead!" Bill laughed and so did Mabel.

"Yes but a lot of people are aiming for my head!"

"Touché."

Once he calmed down, Bill put a hand to his chin in thought. "Or they are aiming for my triangular shaped body. It kind of depends what form I'm in." Mabel laughed again.

Mabel and Bill had spent the past three hours recalling all the pranks they had ever done. While Mabel's were simple and didn't hurt anybody, Bill's were elaborate and caused whole countries to fall! And some of them from Bill's perspective were extremely funny!

"So, what do you think-" Mabel was cut off by the sudden rumbling of the cave. Mabel grabbed onto the wall she was leaning against and Bill floated closer to the middle of the geyser. The cracks quickly burst into giant holes and steam and jets of water were coming out of them. Bill looked at the holes, shocked.

"It's erupting already? We've only been in here for an hour!"

Mabel laughed for the thousandth time. "Bill, we've been in here _three_ hours! We were so caught up in our pranks that the time just flew by!" No one was able to say another word because a giant blast of water broke through the ground and carried the two out of the hole.

They made it up and out of the geyser without any problems this time. Bill didn't get turned around and blasted so Mabel wasn't hit by water in the face either, much to her disappointment.

When they were out of the whole, the sun was setting and the sky was a reddish-pink, which was weird since the sun was blue. Mabel crawled to the edge of the geyser and took one last look at Glacier town. To her surprise, she saw a crowd of people looking up and waving to her. A giant smile broke out and she frantically waved back. She couldn't make out Rebecca, Josie, and John but in her heart, she knew that they were down there waving at her.

When the people were too far to see, Mabel went back to the middle of the geyser and saw that Bill was in the same place as before. She knew he probably wouldn't have waved but she still sighed at his stubbornness.

When the geyser went away, Bill let her fall, not saying anything this time. Even so, Mabel knew he wasn't going to let her die. He said as such so many times that it was implanted into her brain.

Bill once again made the ground bouncy and it was as much fun as before. He flew down to meet her when the bouncing stopped and she was back on her feet again. They were outside the barrier to Glacier Town and were where the doorbell was located. Mabel was facing the woods and all she could see were trees for miles and miles.

Bill snapped his fingers and a light blue light surrounded Mabel. She floated up in the air and was eye level with Bill now. "You ready?" he asked, lifting up his other hand.

Mabel looked behind her and took one last look at Glacier Town. She let its image sink into her brain before looking at Bill. "Ready," she said and clenched her hands into fists, preparing for the pain she was about to feel.

The dream demon snapped his fingers and she was thrust forward, the woods that were in front of her disappeared, as did the town behind her.

When Mabel was able to focus again, they were in Bill's study back in his Mindscape. Bill snapped his finger and the light around Mabel was gone. She fell and landed on her feet. She grabbed her stomach out of pain but noticed that it wasn't as bad as the times before. About ten seconds later, she felt fine.

She looked up to see Bill sitting on the weird looking couch; like he had been the first night she came here. "I've returned time back to normal so you have five minutes to spare." He gestured around the room. "Anything catch your interest?" He figured she would ask him about the couch, but to his surprise, she sat on the ground and looked up at him.

"Any other pranks you'd like to tell me about?" She rested her chin on her hands and waited for him to start talking.

Bill was dumbfounded. He didn't think that she wanted to talk to him anymore. She could do something else yet she wanted to talk to him? Unless it had been about a deal, no one had ever willingly talked to him. They usually tried to get as far away as possible. Her doing this was a first.

He stayed silent for another moment before a smile forced his way onto his face. "Do I have anymore pranks? That's like asking me if I have magic! For example there was this one time…" And that's how their conversation went for the last five minutes. Talking about pranks and which ones were their best. Although they had talked about a lot of this in the geyser, the two of them had a lot more pranks to share and were happy they finally had someone to share them too.

Five minutes later, Mabel's hands started to fade. Before Bill could move a muscle, Mabel stood up and held her arms out wide. "Just do it," she stated. Bill cocked his head and she rolled her eyes. "Just throw me down that black hole." Bill frowned and did just that. He levitated her and made the hole appear, but he stopped before he threw her in.

"You know, it's not very fun for me if you don't scream." Mabel was about to ask how he knew she wouldn't scream when she remembered that he could read minds. She shrugged.

"I know that it's not gonna end up hurting me. When I'm about to hit the ground, I'll wake up and be fine." Bill was about to speak but Mabel put a hand up to stop him. "And no, you wouldn't send me somewhere else because you have said over a million time that you need me alive."

Bill smirked. "You've become too good at reading me for my liking. I'm going to have to switch up my tactics."

Mabel returned the smirk. "And I'll figure those out too Cipher."

"I'd like to see you try Shooting Star." Then Bill snapped his fingers and let Mabel go. Just like she promised she didn't scream. However, there was one thing different from Mabel's point of view.

Instead of Bill laughing, he had a smirk on his face. And behind that smirk, Mabel thought she saw a hint of a smile. A genuine smile. Yet she wasn't sure because the black engulfed her a millisecond later.

* * *

Bill watched the hole snap shut. He turned around and floated out of his study with a small smirk on his face. He was already thinking up new tactics to make Mabel scream.

 _Well_ he thought, _I could do something involving heights still, but she already knows how those end. I need to find something else Shooting Star is afraid of. Hmmmm… What is Shooting Star afraid of? What is Shooting Star afraid of? What is Shooting Star…_ Bill trailed of when he suddenly felt his heart jump.

He stopped floating and looked down at his chest. Confusion was written all over his face. _Why did my heart do that? I know I need one to live but it usually doesn't jump whenever I think._ Bill put a hand to his chin. _All I thought was what is Shooting Star-_ It happened again.

 _Shooting Star?_ His heart jumped once more. Bill was even more confused than before.

"Why does my heart jump every time I think the words Shooting Star?" he questioned out loud. His heart jumped as an image of Mabel flashed into his mind. "Okay, so it's whenever I say the words Shooting Star, think the words Shooting Star, or think about the actual person Shooting Star." His heart jumped three times.

A thought came to his mind. "Oh no. Please don't tell me that a person from Glacier Town somehow drugged me and now whenever I say the words Shooting Star, think the words Shooting Star, or think about the actual person Shooting Star, my heart jumps and it will slowly kill me." His heart jumped three times again. "Really?! Am I seriously going to die because I was drugged?! I'm immortal! Can I even die from drugs? Well, now that I have a heart I guess I can! I am seriously going to die because I have to be disguised as a human!" He let out a scream of frustration.

"Well maybe I don't have to associate myself with Shooting Star at all." His heart jumped at the words and he growled. "But I can't do that now can I? I need to help her stop the shadows if I want my favor. And I can't just stop saying Shooting Star!" His heart jumped. "It goes against my code! I have to keep calling her Shooting Star." His heart jumped again and he let out another scream of frustration.

After a couple more minutes of fuming, he was able to calm himself down. "Well," he sighed, "drugs usually wear off and maybe this will too. Unless it stays in my system and kills me. But I'm immortal, so I should be fine." He took a deep breath and relaxed. "Yeah, I just have to deal with my heart jumping until the drug wears off. I just have to avoid thinking, saying, or thinking about the person Shooting Star as much as I possibly can." His heart jumped and Bill frowned. "I really hope this goes away soon."

Bill straightened and continued to float down the hallway. He needed to find where the next shadow shard was as soon as possible. The heart jumping thing could wait. _After all_ Bill thought, _it has to go away_.

If only he knew.

* * *

 **Wow. Bill knows everything, yet he still doesn't know what his heart jumping means. Poor dorito…**

 **The next chapter hopefully be up sometime in the next week. It's only going to be somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000 words so it will be done quicker.**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please R &R, follow, and favorite If you have any criticism or anything you think I should improve on, leave a review! I love hearing what you guys have to say!**

 **I hope you all will read the next chapter! Until then…**

 **Peace!** ** _GamerFan369_**


	8. The Week After

**Here comes a short chapter. Well, at least shorter than the past three.**

 **Now for the reviews…**

 ** _Mylittlesonamy123_** **: THE FEELS! I also kept squealing when I was writing the chapter. I was like "Finally! I can make some progress in their relationship!" But don't think things will happen quickly. They still hate each other! Also, I think that I'm going to eat those marshmallow uni-turtles riding chocolate kittens…**

 ** _bloodstone38_** **: Yes, Bill's starting to like her… Or is he?!**

 ** _FleeceofSteel_** **: I don't know what that means… But I'm glad you reviewed!**

 **Thanks all you amazing people for the reviews! Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Just a warning, this chapter contains blood and can be a little gruesome. It's nothing horrible… I think, but I just wanted to warn you all.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls. Only Alex Hirsch and Disney do. Also, I do not own Star Wars. There may or may not be slight parodies of the movie titles in here.**

* * *

The Pines twins looked down at the thing on their plates. The thing in question was a rock hard, medium sized, brown and black lump. If the twins hadn't have seen Great Uncle Ford cooking this, they would have thought that it was a piece of rock from the Earth's core.

Dipper grabbed his fork and hesitantly touched the thing while Mabel kept looking back and forth between her plate and Great Uncle Ford, not exactly sure what to do. "Um," Dipper said after a moment. He dropped his fork when he swore he saw the thing move. "Great Uncle Ford, what exactly is it?"

Ford waved it off. "Oh, just a new recipe I'm trying. It's a type of pancake. Try it. I think it should be good."

The twins shared a look. Dipper swallowed the lump in his throat and Mabel bit her lip. They both took one more glance at the _pancake_ on their plate before slowly grabbing their forks. Dipper also picked up his knife and he cut off a piece, but Mabel stabbed her _pancake_ with her fork and ripped a chunk off. Even though it looked hard on the outside, it was surprisingly moist on the inside. They took their time putting the fork to their lips but they couldn't put it off any longer. The fork entered their mouth and so did the _pancake_.

Ford watched in excitement as the twins chewed their food. Both of them had a small cringe on their faces. It wasn't inedible, yet it didn't taste good either. They didn't want to hurt Ford's feeling though so they tried their best to finish the bite. However, when the _pancake_ in their mouth was almost mush, Great Uncle Ford took out a small, green notebook and frowned.

"That's strange," he muttered. "The rat grew tentacles after the first bite, but that was only when I put a drop of the serum in. I put ten in this yet it's still taking longer."

Mabel and Dipper's eyes widened and they immediately spit out the food. Mabel snatched up the knife next to her plate and began to scrap her tongue. Dipper seized the cup of water he had and started gargling, then he spit the water back in the cup.

Great Uncle Ford froze. "What, did it not taste good?"

"Not taste good?!" Dipper exploded. "Great Uncle Ford, you tried to make us grow tentacles!"

"Come on," Ford laughed. "You would have been back to normal in a week. Do you really think I would give you something bad?"

Mabel's jaw dropped. "And you think growing tentacles _isn't_ bad." She paused. "Although it would be kind of cool to have more arms to use."

"Mabel!" Dipper shouted.

She laughed. "I'm kidding bro-bro. Well, sort of kidding." Dipper put his head in his hands and groaned. Ford turned back to his notebook.

"So, do you two think more sugar would make the pancake taste better?" He wrote something down and snapped his notebook shut. "I still have the batter. I'll put some more sugar in and I'll have some more for you guys to try in ten minutes!"

The seventeen year olds shot up from their seats. Both quickly came up with excuses. Or rather, Mabel came up with and excuse and Dipper followed along with it. "Um, Great Uncle Ford?" Ford faced Mabel and she giggled nervously. "I forgot that I was supposed to meet the girls at the diner this morning. It must have slipped my mind."

"Er, yeah! Mabel's right! I was also going to go with her. I haven't seen Grenda and Candy in a while so I want to go meet up with them." Before Ford could protest, the twins ran past him and up to their bedroom to change.

The scientist shrugged at their behavior. "All right," he said to himself, "more for me." He grabbed the batter that was in a silver bowl next to him and began pouring it into the metal pan on the stove. "I always did want to see what having tentacles was like."

* * *

Mabel had on a blue sundress with short black stretch pants that were hidden by her dress. She also had on a pair of silver sandals. Dipper had on a plain white t-shirt and tan shorts. He had blue and white sneakers on his feet with some grey socks. And of course, he had on his signature pine tree hat. They walked up to the entrance to Greasy's Diner and calmly opened the door.

When Mabel and Dipper entered the diner, they took a look around the old restaurant they knew and loved. The diner was rather slow today so there were many open seats. The only people actually in the building were Lazy Susan, two other waitresses, Tambry and Robbie (They were still together. That love potion really works wonders.), and Old Man McGucket. McGucket was standing near the back with one of the other waitresses. He had a screwdriver in hand and was fixing what looked like a toaster. However, he did look up to say hello to the twins when they entered the diner.

"Oh! Hello Mabel! Hello Dipper!"

Mabel smiled and waved to McGucket and so did Dipper. "Hello McGucket!" Mabel called from across the room. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm doing just fine and dandy Mabel." McGucket gestured to the toaster that was on the counter. "I'm just trying to fix up old Betsy here."

"Oh." Mabel frowned when he called the toaster Betsy. Her smiled returned before he could notice though. "Well, I'll leave you to it then." He nodded in her direction then went back to screwing nuts and bolts into place.

Mabel turned to her brother and saw his eyebrows raised. "Did he name the toaster?"

She shrugged. "I guess. But it's not the strangest thing we've ever seen." Dipper couldn't argue with that logic. Mabel continued. "Besides, he could have named it something weirder, like Scrape Metal de Toaster Chicken."

Dipper snickered. "Yeah, or he could have named it Toasty's Vengeance."

"Begudala Toaster."

"Revenge of the Toasti!"

"May the Toast be with you!"

"Toaststopolis el Toaster!"

"Toasty the Toaster of all Toastosity!"

"Toastaconroy!"

"Tosta Rosa!"

"Sir Toast of Toastinham!"

"Mr. Toasity Toast Toaster Toast Toast Toast!"

"Ms. Toastyity Toaster la Tosa de Toast!"

"Toaster Tosity: The toaster to rule all Toasters!"

"Um, Bernard?" Mabel gave her brother a strange look.

"How did you get Bernard from toaster?"

Dipper corrected himself and pointed his finger at Mabel for dramatic effect. "Toasty de Bernard the Sixth!" Mabel giggled and her twin joined in. They began laughing so hard that any normal person would have thought they were crazy. But the citizens of Gravity Falls that were in Greasy's only glanced at the commotion before going back to whatever they were doing before.

Clutching their sides, the twins fell into opposite sides of the booth they were closest to. In a minute, they were both able to calm down and they pushed themselves up so they were in a seated position.

The twins both grabbed a menu that was lying on the table and sighed at the sight of normal looking food (normal as food at Greasy's could get). It looked a lot better then what Great Uncle Ford had cooked them and just the thought of better tasting food made their mouths water.

When Lazy Susan came to their booth, Mabel ordered the coffee omelet and lemonade while Dipper asked for a bagel and water. When they got their order ten minutes later, the food was in their mouths in seconds.

"What," Mabel paused when she took a sip of her lemonade. She grimaced at how sour it was but swallowed it anyways. She took a breath before starting again. "What are we gonna say if Great Uncle Ford asks about what we did with the girls?"

Dipper shrugged. "I'm sure we can make up something. Besides, we wouldn't actually be lying if-" He was interrupted by the door to the diner opening. Mabel stuck her head out of the booth and her eyes lit up at who she saw.

Pacifica.

Dipper turned around and his jaw dropped a bit at the sight. "…one of your friends actually came in here." He didn't actually expect any of Mabel's friends to come in!

Mabel barely heard him because she was already out of her seat and hugging one of her best friends. A giant smile was plastered on her face and not even a missile could take it off.

Pacifica, like Mabel, was wearing a sundress except hers was white and had a rose pattern around the edge. She had on her signature purple jacket with a purple head band and a purple pair of flip-flops to match. There was also a purple purse with glittering diamonds hanging on her shoulder.

Pacifica was surprised at first, but then she noticed who was hugging her and she returned the gesture. When the two pulled away, they both had smile on their faces.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't go out with you, Candy, or Grenda last week," Pacifica apologized. Mabel was surprised that that was the first thing that came out of her mouth, but she shrugged it off.

"It's fine Pacifica. The girls told me why you couldn't come. It's not your fault your parents drag you around everywhere."

"Yeah, but I still don't get _why_ they drag me alone. I mean, the only thing they serve at those parties is wine and they don't seem to notice that I'm only seventeen." Pacifica sighed and shook her head. "But, I get to see you now so everything's good." She gestured to the booth the twins were sitting at. "Can I join you guys?"

"Sure!" Mabel grabbed Pacifica's hand and dragged her other to their table. She plopped into her seat and pulled Pacifica down with her.

Pacifica gave Dipper a smile and a small wave. "Hey Dipper."

Dipper returned the smile. "Hey Pacifica! So, Mabel told me that you were one of the smartest kids in school. Is that true?" Pacifica's cheeks reddened.

"Well, Candy's the smartest person in school, but I'm next in line. So, I guess I am."

He smiled. "Cool." His smile turned smug. "I also happen to be one of the smartest kids in my school. The _smartest_ to be exact." Mabel rolled her eyes, leaned over, and gently slapped Dipper on the arm. Dipper frowned. "What was that for?"

"Dipper," Mabel sighed, "don't you know anything? You always let the girl know that she's better at things than the guy is. It's dating 101." Both Pacifica's and Dipper's face turned tomato red.

"Mabel!" Dipper shouted. He voice quieted however when he saw Robbie and Tambry give him a look. "Pacifica and I are _n-not_ dating!"

"D-Dipper's right!" Pacifica quickly stated. "We're just friends!" The two of them shared a look. Mabel saw it though and smiled.

" _Sure_ … Whatever helps you sleep at night!"

Dipper glared at her and changed the subject. Sort of. "So Mabel?" he asked, his tone annoyed and slightly harsh. "You've been going out into town a lot this week. Have _you_ been seeing anyone?"

"Yeah," Pacifica joined in, a sly smile on her lips. "Have you been seeing any guy lately?"

Mabel sighed and slumped down in her seat. "No."

"Really," Pacifica pressured. "You haven't seen a single guy all week?"

 _Well_ Mabel thought, _if by guy, do you mean an insane triangle/dorito dream demon who turned himself human to disguise himself from a group called the Shadows of the Underworld because if they find out he's helping me, they can use something to take away his magic? Does Bill even count as a guy?_

But, Mabel couldn't exactly tell them that so she just shrugged. "Nope," she popped the _p_. "I haven't seen a single guy all week.

And she was telling the truth.

The night after they came back from the Glacier Forest, Bill told her that he wouldn't be bringing her into his Mindscape for a while. He still needed to find the location of the next shadow shard and it would be pointless to have her in his Mindscape. She asked if the shadows were attack her than, but he explained that they wouldn't.

Well, he sort of explained.

He actually went into this really complicated rant about realms and brains and all this other jazz about the answer to the question. About three-fourths of the way through, Bill noticed that Mabel couldn't understand a word he was saying and just gave Mabel the short answer. Or as he said, "I am dumbing this down for you Shooting Star." She glared at him for the comment and he replied with his usual smirk.

So no, Mabel wasn't seeing any guys. She may have bumped into a few guys that week but she never started a conversation with one. She had already tried all her moves on all the boys her age in Gravity Falls so she knew none of them would work.

Mabel had mostly spent the last week either with her family, with her friends, fighting monsters, or at the library. Of course, she didn't tell Dipper she was at the library. She was hoping that she would find something about the shadows or the shadow shards but no such luck. And it would be hard to explain to Dipper why she was researching that stuff.

"…And then Mabel had to go undercover for me so she could steal back the thing I needed in my science teacher's draw." Mabel lazily looked up at the two. They had apparently started telling 'interesting' school stories. Some of them were funny, but most of them weren't. Mabel sighed again and grabbed her plate. She took a bite of her coffee omelet and stared out the window.

She couldn't help but wonder what Bill was doing right now.

* * *

Bill floated into the bar, looking around in disgust at the place. He was never one for bars, but it was the only place his informant would meet him so he had to deal with it.

Like almost every other bar in existence, this one reeked of alcohol. There was a giant… well bar in the center of the giant room and tables, chairs, and booths were scattered all along the edges. The room was dark and had minimal lighting. It also didn't help that all the walls, the floor, and the ceiling were made of dark wood.

There were demons all over the room. Not any demons from his dimension, they were all stuck in the Nightmare Realm, but demons none the less. There were fire demons, thirty-six headed demons, demons with eyes in all the wrong places… They were all completely and utterly weird and that was something Bill liked. It was probably only the good thing about this place.

Bill sighed again and made his way further into the bar. He was back in his triangle form so no one would question why a human was there. Some of them did point and stare however. He expected some demons would do that and he didn't mind. Demons in every realm have heard of him and Bill would have been surprised if _no one_ noticed he was there.

He ignore the gazes of about half of the demons in the room and made his way to the booth he was told to be at. He had to stop once when a glass was thrown past him. He knew what was coming next and his eye watched the thirty-six headed demon being thrown across the room. "I hate bars," he muttered and continued his way to the booth.

When the booth number read _18_ , he sat down. Not even a second later, a demon who worked at the bar came up to him.

"Anything?" she asked in a bored voice.

"No," Bill grunted. She seemed a bit relieved that he said no and quickly turned around and walked away.

No one else bothered him after that. He spent twenty-five minutes drumming his finger on the table and staring aimlessly into space. He was just about to leave and start hunting his informant down when Bill heard a demon slide into the booth behind him. "Cipher," the demon said in a gravelly voice.

"Triple Fanged, very bad name by the way." He heard the demon grunt but Bill said nothing else.

Triple Fanged was a demon with three fangs, hence the name Triple Fanged. He was a tall blue demon with two large amber eyes. And amber was the only color they were. His pupil, whites, everything was amber. He had large toes and hands that had claws that could challenge knives. He was every child's nightmare.

Yet he was also one of the weakest demons alive.

"So," Triple Fanged started, "I hear you want to know about the shadow shard."

"Correct." Bill still stared straight at a wall while Triple Fanged did the same. If any demon saw them, it seemed like they weren't even talking.

"Why? What use do you have for its location?"

"You don't need to know that."

Triple Fanged chuckled. "I believe I do. I can't have the Shadows of the Underworld coming after me now can I. For all I know, you could be working with them."

Bill's fingers stopped drumming in the table. He made his cane appear and he gripped it. Hard. "I have no reason to work with those _things_."

"Yes, but everyone knows that you'll make any deal that benefits you."

Bill's grip loosened, but only a little. "It's in my nature to make deals. You should know that by now, Triple Fanged. However, what reason would I have for turning you into the shadows?"

Triple Fanged shrugged. "I don't know. What did they promise you?" Bill's grip tightened again.

"Nothing. I'm not working for them."

"I'm not so sure about that Cipher."

The dream demon laughed. "You're crossing some lines pal. You don't want to see the repercussions if you cross those lines, trust me."

"I think I'll take my chances Cipher." Triple Fanged smirked and got up. "Since I have no proof that you're not working with the shadows, I'll be leaving now." He turned and placed his hands on Bill's table. The sick smirk was still on his face, all three of his fangs showing. "And don't try to make a deal with me to tell you. I never needed your deals." With those words, Triple Fanged removed his giant hands from Bill's table and began walking out of the bar.

But Bill wouldn't have that.

He narrowed his eye at the demon and gripped his cane so tight it almost split in two. Bill growled, because Triple Fanged owed him a favor and he wasn't paying it off.

Now, if Bill broke a deal with someone, that was one thing. But if someone broke a deal with Bill…

Bill laughed. He laughed a loud and crazy laugh that was heard throughout the bar. Every demon stopped what they were doing and looked at the dream demon. Even Triple Fanged stopped walking and turned to look at Bill.

When finally Bill stopped laughing, he floated into the air and once again narrowed his eye at Triple Fanged. "Do you really think you can leave so easily? If I remember correctly, you said just a moment ago that you never needed my deals." Triple Fanged stood his ground and nodded. However, the fear was evident on his face and every demon could see it, even Bill.

"Well then, if you never needed my deal, then why did you make one with me in the first place?" Triple Fanged face paled. "You were in quiet a pickle, weren't you? You never would have made it out alive without me."

Triple Fanged regained his composure and growled at the dream demon. "I could have gotten out of the situation just fine! I didn't _really_ need your help Cipher!" Bill laughed again.

"Really?! Well then, I hope you don't mind if I _retract_ that deal, now would you? After all, you never needed _my_ help." Bill lifted the hand not holding his cane and his eye lit up. And not in a good way.

Triple Fanged took a couple steps back. "Wait! Don't do-" He could never finish his sentence because Bill already snapped his fingers.

Triple Fanged was silent for a moment, but soon fell to the ground, screaming in agony. "Make it stop!" he screamed. "Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop!" He was grabbing every part of his body and continued screaming for it to stop.

Bill only laughed through it all.

Some demons cheered while others gasped at the transformation that was happening on Triple Fanged. Scratches were appearing all over his body and a sickly green blood was pouring out of them. The demons could hear the crack of bones breaking and soon enough, an arm and both of Triple Fanged legs fell off. Blood was pouring onto the floor like a waterfall and bones were poking out of his whole body.

Then there was one last loud crack.

Triple Fanged screamed so loud that any demon with ears covered them. With the hand that was still attached to his body, Triple Fanged grabbed at his neck. He was gasping for air but none was coming to him. His face started turning a dark blue and his amber eyes were getting foggy.

Bill came up to him before he died.

"So you see," the dream demon said, twirling his cane around one of his fingers, "you _did_ need to make a deal with me to survive. And I also remember that you promised me a favor." Bill's eye went from playful to angry in a millisecond. His body turned red and glowing white and his eye turned white and black. He snapped his fingers and Triple Fanged was levitated in the air. Bill twisted his hand and began to break Triple Fanged's neck even more. The dream demon let out a chuckle of delight at the sound of the demon's neck being demolished.

"Now," Bill whispered in a dangerously low voice. "I said that for the favor you owe me, you needed to tell me the location of the shadow shard. And do you know what you did?" His voice raised and he began shouting at Triple Fang, his voice completely full of rage. "Do you know what you did?! You broke a deal with me! _You broke a deal with_ me!" Bill turned his hand some more until Triple Fanged's neck was only holding on by a thread. It was a miracle he was still alive right now. " _You broke a deal with me! I_ kill _people who break deals with me!_ "

Every demon held their breath, some in anticipation while others, in fear. There wasn't a single sound in the bar.

Then Bill let Triple Fanged go.

The demon fell to the ground but still clawed at his neck. He had about a second to live and every demon knew it. However, something strange happened. They all heard a _snap_ and suddenly Triple Fang could breathe again.

The demon took in a big gulp of air and black tears began streaming down his face. In a flash, his legs and arm were back and all the scratches on his body had disappeared. The blood that covered the bar floor was nowhere to be seen.

Every demon turned to look at Bill. His colors were back to normal which indicated that the dream demon had calmed down. Yet, his cat-like eye was still narrowed at Triple Fanged. The demon in question looked at Bill in shock, tears still coming out of his eyes.

Before any demon said anything, Bill floated to the demon on the floor. Triple Fanged scooted back in fear but Bill wouldn't let him run away. He snapped his fingers again and Triple Fanged was stuck in place. "Now listen to me," Bill growled. "The only reason I am letting you live is because you know where the next shadow shard is. So tell me where it is, or I won't stop myself from killing you this time."

Triple Fanged nodded vigorously. "It's in the Ever Changing realm. I don't know the exact area it is in, but some other demon might." Bill lifted a hand to snap again and the demon cowered in fear. "Please! That's all I know!"

Bill looked at his hand for a moment before slowly lowering it. Without another word, he floated past Triple Fanged and towards the exit of the bar. He turned back before he left however. "Triple Fanged," Bill warned. His voice was once again very low. "If I ever see you again, you're dead. Know why?" Triple Fanged shook his head. Bill glared daggers at him. "Because no one, and I mean _no one_ , breaks a deal with me." With those words, Bill ignored the stunned gazes directed towards him and snapped his fingers. He disappeared in a bright white flash.

* * *

Mabel returned her attention to the conversation Dipper and Pacifica were having when the topic turned to favorite TV shows. Thinking about what Bill was doing right now could wait.

She probably didn't want to know anyways.

* * *

 **This chapter turned out a lot darker then I originally thought. Oh well.**

 **Just to let you know, I think that for my update schedule, I'm going to be updating on Sundays or Mondays. I just always seem to have a chapter done by then.**

 **I still need ideas for realms! Feel free to tell me your idea for a realm anytime!**

 **Also, quick heads up. It might take me about two weeks to get the next chapter out. I don't have the slightest idea what I'm going to do for it so it's going to take me a while to think up the chapter and write it.**

 **Anyways, please R &R, favorite, and follow! If you have any criticism or things you think I should improve on, feel free to leave them in a review! Until then…**

 **Peace!** ** _GamerFan369_**


	9. Yet Another Deal Broken

**I AM SO, SO, SO, SO, SO SORRY! I wanted to get this out sooner, I really did, but I had so many tests these past weeks and I had a major case of writers block. I only had an idea about what to do next two weeks ago and I was SO busy with school and other things too. But luckily…**

 **IT'S SUMMER VACATION!**

 **I will have more time to write and I can get chapters out much quicker. I have overcome my writer's block (I hope) and I know what I am doing now! Woo hoo!**

 **Also, in case anyone is worried that I will abandon this story, stop worrying. I have a lot more planned and I won't stop until I say the whole entire story is over. And trust me, it will be a while. So if you really enjoy this story, expect more to come!**

 **Anyways, now for the reviews…**

 ** _arapyanime_** **: I'm glad you loved the chapter!**

 ** _Mabilluv13_** **: First off, I love your name! Secondly, wow. That's** ** _a lot_** **of ideas. I'm thinking that I may use some of them. However, I might use some of the areas you suggested in the Ever Changing Realm also.**

 ** _Mylittlechainsaws123_** **: I'm happy you thought my chapter was wonderful. Yes, Bill is scary. I would have made him worse, but it's a T rating and I'm trying not to make it** ** _too_** **bloody. And a candy realm you say? Hmm… I think I might just use that! While Mabel would be in heaven, Bill would be in hell! I could just see the look on Bill's face.**

 ** _Bloodstone38_** **: Yes, yes he is.**

 ** _Sam_** **: I'm sorry it's taken so long to update! Writer's block is the bane of my existence! Also, thanks for calling my story awesome!**

 ** _Awesome_** **: I'm updating as fast as I can with writer's block! Just stick with me! Thanks for complimenting my story to!**

 ** _TheMemeMaster_** **: I'm so happy you think my story is that good! For the realm idea, I have a thing or two planned for a realm like that, but it won't have a shadow shard in it. Something else will be happening.**

 ** _doritowoman4_** **: Awwww! I'm touched that this is your favorite MaBill story! I must be doing** ** _something_** **right! Thank you so much! Your future realm idea is an interesting one. Maybe I can have them travel to Time Baby's time! Heh, Bill wouldn't be too happy about that.**

 **As for your volcano realm idea, I may use that. I'm going to be having a chapter where lots of places are involved, so I'm going to be using** ** _a lot_** **of ideas. This one will probably be one of them. Also, I am updating right now!**

 ** _Guest_** **: Here comes another chapter! I'm glad you think that they are good!**

 ** _Urgent_** **: Yes, I am going to update! I'm going to update until this whole entire story is through! Expect more chapters from me!**

 **Cryingman: The update is here! Don't worry!**

 **Thanks all you amazing people for reviewing! Speaking of reviews…**

 **I HAVE OVER 50 REVIEWS! WOO HOO!**

 **Not only that, I have over 60 followers, and almost 40 favorites. I know that may not seem like much to most people, but this absolutely makes my heart explode with happiness! Thank you all SO much! You all get a cookie! (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::)**

 **Also, thank you to anybody who has read my story up to this point. To my calculations, there are around 250 people who have been sticking with this story. Again, I know this may not seem like a lot to most people, but just knowing that people out there really like what I write, it nearly brings me to tears. Thank you SO much!**

 **This has been a** ** _really_** **long author's note, but it just** ** _had_** **to be said! Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapter!**

 **WARNING! This chapter is a little dark/gruesome at a certain part. Just a warning. If I am getting to dark for the T rating, please tell me. This should be the last chapter with something this dark in it, but just in case…**

 **Disclaimer: I do not, under the slightest of circumstances, own Gravity Falls. Only the outstanding Alex Hirsch and Disney have the rights to this fantastic show.**

* * *

Mabel's eyes darted back and forth as she watched Bill pace, er, _float_ in circles around his study. He was still in his human form (much to her surprise) and seemed to be deep in thought. She had decided five minutes ago to stay quiet and let him think.

It had been two weeks since their first victory of obtaining the shadow shard in Glacier Town. Bill had finally allowed her back into his Mindscape and she thought it was because he knew the location of the next shard. However, she was starting to doubt her earlier assumption due to all the thinking he seemed to be doing.

When Bill started mumbling nonsense to himself, she thought it was time to intervene.

"Bill," Mabel drawled. Bill's head snapped up. When he saw that it was her who spoke to him, he stopped moving and gave her a look. She couldn't exactly decipher what it meant though. It looked something like a glare, a face of confusion, and she swore there was a smirk thrown in there somewhere.

"What is it, Shooting Star?" Mabel lifted an eyebrow when she heard him growl after saying her nickname. Before she could question it, the dream demon was back to his floating. But Mabel could tell he was still waiting to hear what she said.

"Could you explain to me why I'm here exactly?" she asked. He must have brought her here for a reason. People don't just bring people into their homes to watch them pace all day. _Then again,_ Mabel thought, _Bill is a dream demon, not a person. For all I know, he could have brought me here just so that I would think that we were getting the next shadow shard when we really weren't._

"Well, Shooting Star," he stopped short again and said something about "ignoring it" and "just a drug" under his breath. Once again, before Mabel could question it, he was back to answering what she had asked. "I have an idea of where the next shadow shard is, but I need to check in with an old... _friend_ , to put it lightly, and get some more information."

Mabel raised an eyebrow again at his answer. She had a feeling that his _friend_ wasn't exactly a friend. _Does Bill even have friends?_ she thought. She knew that he considered the Nightmares to be his friends, but they seemed more like pieces on Bill's chessboard than his friends. Of course, they wouldn't be the pawns on Bill's chessboard; they would either be the rooks, bishops or knights. Bill would, obviously, be the king (it helped that his ego was bigger than the Earth itself). But the queen? Mabel couldn't picture who it would be. Pyronica seemed like the only girls in his group, but she seemed more like a knight or a bishop than the queen.

Mabel furrowed her eyebrows. No matter how much she thought, she couldn't figure out who the queen would be. The best answer she could think of was that Bill eliminated the queen from the chessboard entirely. It seemed like something he would do.

She was snapped back into reality when something long and hard hit her head.

"Chessboard!" she randomly shouted. When she realized what she said, her eyes darted to Bill. He was looking at her strangely. At first, she thought that he had been reading her mind, but a second look at him pushed that thought out the window. It was clear by the expression on his face that he did not know what she had been thinking.

Bill sighed and made his cane disappear in a flash. He put a hand to his nose and pinched the bridge of it in annoyance. "Care to tell me what enraptured you so?"

She scoffed. "Well, since you didn't bother reading my mind, I have a feeling you don't really want to know." Bill said nothing and Mabel smirked. "That's what I thought."

"Shooting Star, we are wasting time here. We need to talk to my _friend_ before he disappears again. I had enough trouble tracking him down this time; I don't want to have to do it again!"

A sigh escaped Mabel. "Fine, I'll pay attention." Bill nodded and turned back to a map that was on the wall nearest to him. A map that wasn't there a minute ago. She blinked once to see if it was really there. It was. Mabel guessed he made it appear while she was deep in thought. She stood up from the weird couch that she (reluctantly) was sitting on and walked over to the map.

"So, where is this _friend_ of yours anyway?" Bill pointed to a spot on the map and Mabel squinted her eyes at where he was pointing. It was so small, she could barely see it. When she thought she saw it (she couldn't tell if the spot was the place or a smudge), she turned back to Bill. "What is that place?"

"It's a very small realm that not many people know about. It's called the Reverse Realm-"

"And the name is very original in your opinion, am I correct?"

Bill smirked. "Couldn't have said it better myself." He paused. "Actually, I could have. I do everything better."

Mabel rolled her eyes and flicked the dream demon's head.

"We get it Mr. Flying Dorito, you have a big ego. Anything new you'd like to tell me?" Bill snorted and turned back to the map.

"Well, in the Reverse Realm, time goes backwards. For example, in the year 618 B.C. in your world, it was the year 3618 A.D. in their world."

"Oh," Mabel exclaimed. "So, what time period are they in now?"

Bill put a hand to his chin in thought. "I believe the 1700's, last time I checked."

Mabel's forehead scrunched up. "But how does that work? If it was about three thousand years later before, how is it only three hundred years apart now?"

"That's simple, Shooting Star. The laws of physics and time work differently in that world than the one you reside in."

"Oh," was all Mabel could muster. Bill snapped his fingers and the map disappeared in a flash, blinding Mabel for a moment. He turned to face her and clapped his hands together.

"So, now that all _that_ business is settled, are you ready to go, Shooting Star?" Bill shot her a mocking smile.

She sighed. "Do I have a choice?"

"Unless you want the shadows to kill you," Bill's smiled turned into a smirk, "then no, you don't."

"That's what I thought," Mabel grumbled. For what had to be the hundredth time, Bill levitated her up into the air and snapped his fingers. Everything around them turned into one dark blur and the two were shot forward. Not even a millisecond later, they stopped.

Mabel was dropped to the ground and for the first time, her stomach wasn't churning. She glanced at her stomach in awe and stood up. She poked it once or twice to make sure it really did feel fine. It didn't even grumble. "Wow," she whispered. "I guess it _doesn't_ hurt after a while."

"Told you," Bill said in a sing song voice, gliding past her. Mabel rolled her eyes and followed him up a giant hill. It took her a second to spot him because of how dark it was, but it wasn't too hard.

"Why is it you take joy in these type of things?"

The dream demon threw his arms into the air and stretched. "What things?" Mabel could practically here the smirk in his voice.

"You know. Always being ri-" Mabel froze in place as they got to the top of the hill they were climbing. Her jaw dropped open at the town below. "D-did we go back in time?" she questioned.

The town looked like something out of her history books.

The village was small and had a wide, lush green field surrounding it. The streets in the town were made of cobble and the houses were also made of stone. They had dark wood roofs and almost every house had a chimney popping out of them. Mabel wished she could have seen more, but the moon didn't provide enough light to look at all the nicks and crannies of the town.

"This looks like something I saw in a history book once!" Mabel gasped.

Bill smirked. "I thought only Pine Tree and Sixer were obsessed with books, but apparently a certain Shooting Star is too."

Mabel slapped his arm. "It was for school you butt head."

A sigh escaped the dream demon. "Do you have any new comebacks? This one is beginning to get annoying."

"Then I'm doing my job." Mabel smirked and started the trek down the hill. Bill sighed again and followed her.

* * *

By the time they reached the town, the moon was high in the sky and the only lights were from the candles that were flickering in people's window. However, even those were few in numbers.

Mabel squinted her eyes at the streets. "How on earth are we supposed to find your friend?" she whispered. "I can barely see two steps in front of- Ack!" For the second time that day, Mabel shielded her eyes from the sudden light that appeared. She gave her eyes a hard rub and then slowly opened them.

She caught Bill finishing an eye roll. His face was lit up by the medium-sized blue flame he now held in his hands. "Shooting Star, can you please stop over reacting? You're going to wake up the whole town. I don't want hoarding people into houses to be added to our To-Do list." Bill made a piece of paper with the words "To-Do" written on it to emphasize his point.

Mabel scanned the paper and grunted. "There is literally only one thing on that list!"

"My point exactly." The paper disappeared and Bill floated farther down the street before Mabel could respond. "Now come on. We don't have very much time." Mabel muttered an incoherent comment under her breath and trudged after the dream demon.

* * *

They were rounding a corner when Bill stopped her. "He's here."

Mabel frowned and eyed the area around them warily. "Explain to me why every secret meeting has to be done in an old, abandoned alley. I mean, this happens in every movie that has a secret meeting in it."

The dream demon sighed in annoyance. "How am I supposed to know that?"

Mabel's frown turned upside down. "So… You're saying you don't know everything?" Bill let out a low growl and Mabel giggled. "And here I thought you were the all-powerful and all-knowing Bill Cipher. Guess I was wrong." She let out a playful sigh.

"I could know the answer," Bill muttered through gritted teeth, "but I don't waste my time thinking about stupid things like that!" Bill made sure to keep his yell a whisper. He didn't want Acornus to hear them.

"Who says it's stupid?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe about every person and being in existence!"

Mabel smirked again. "I'm a person in existence and I don't think it's stupid."

Bill face palmed. "You know what; I don't have time for this." The dream demon snapped his fingers and bright blue flames surrounded him. How nobody woke up and saw the fire was beyond Mabel's knowledge. When it disappeared, Bill was back to his regular, triangle shaped self.

"Now Shooting Star, you stay here." He glared at her. "And do not move from this spot. Got it?" Mabel nodded. "Good."

Bill adjusted his hat and straightened his bow tie. With a final glare in Mabel's direction, he turned the corner and disappeared around a wall.

However, just because Mabel couldn't see him, didn't mean she couldn't hear him.

* * *

"Acornus." A man in a brown coat, trousers, and old boots turned around at the mention of his name. The man had black hair and dark brown eyes that were so dark they almost seemed black. Acornus gave Bill a thin smile.

The two were in a well sized space between two dirty alleys. Acornus already had a fire going, but it seemed like it was going to burn out at the slightest gust of wind. It provided enough light to see each other at the very least.

"Bill Cipher. I heard you've been looking for me. I guess the rumors were true." The smile got wider and even creepier. "What took you so long?"

"Well," Bill said, making his cane appear, "you're not exactly easy to find."

Acornus sighed. "Ah, yes. Being a shape shifter does have its perks." He turned into a gigantic three-headed-dog to prove his point. The dog was the same color as Acornus' eyes and had the same smile to.

"But being a dream demon has even more," Bill countered. With a snap of his fingers, nearly five hundred cobras had appeared and surrounded the dog. The snakes hissed and had their fangs bared, ready to pounce.

Acornus sighed again. "I can't argue with that." He quickly turned back into a man and glared at the cobras. Bill snapped his fingers again and the snakes disappeared.

Acornus shook his head and the thin smile returned. "But I know you didn't take all this time to find me for idle chit-chat. What do you want?"

Bill shrugged. "It's simple, really. I want the location of the shadow shard."

The man stiffened, but quickly relaxed. "It's in the Ever Changing Realm." He laughed. "I'm surprised you took the time to find me for this information. I'm sure that there are a few demons who are much easier to find and would have this information too."

The dream demon was the one to laugh this time. "Oh, I never asked what realm it's in. I already got that info." Acornus stiffened again and Bill floated closer to him. "I'm asking a different question and you know that I am. So, I'll ask you again. Where is the shadow shard in the Ever Changing Realm, Acornus?"

The man in question took a few steps back. He swallowed the lump in his throat and frantically looked around.

"I-I can't say Bill. They'll kill me if I do."

"Well, to bad then." Bill's voice dropped a few octaves. "If you remember correctly, we made a deal that stated I would give you control of the Shifter Realm, in exchange that you would help me whenever I needed it. I already had one demon go back on a deal this week, and his punishment was bad enough. You wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of the second one."

Acornus swallowed shakily. "H-how did y-y-you find out t-that-"

"That you knew where it was? Simple. That shard was the only one the shadows had and hid. Or should I say the one they told you to hide. You worked for them and you hid the shard. And if your wondering how I knew this information...well... I have some _friends_ here and there." Bill's eye narrowed. "Now tell me," his cane disappeared and blue flames appeared in Bill's hands, "where is the shadow shard?"

Acornus didn't mean to, but he was starting to stutter. He was usually calm, but when the Shadows of the Underworld were involved... "B-B-Bill, I... I can't tell you." He started to looking around again, scared that the shadows might be listening. Acornus wasn't scared of much, but the shadows were a whole different story.

"But you have to. We made a deal." The flames in Bill's hands grew. Bill could feel his anger rising. He nearly killed the first demon who broke a deal with him. And within a week, another demon was. He was beginning to lose his patience.

"You hid it in the only place you can leave the Ever Changing Realm," Bill continued. "The only place anyone can transport out of that accursed place. I don't want to be stuck their forever. I have plans that I want to see put into action. I have people I want to see dead by my hands. So, I'll ask you one more time. Where is the shadow shard?"

"Why... W-why do you even care?!" Acornus shouted. He tried desperately to change the subject. "The shadow shards won't do anything to increase your power or kill people or anything like that! The only thing they can do is trap the shadows in the Underworld!"

"That's right. However, I have made a deal that will greatly benefit me in the future. And I want to see the deal go through." The flames grew once again. "So, where is the shadow shard?"

"I... I... Argh!" Acornus tried to transform into something, anything that would get him out of the situation he was in. However, Bill was too fast and used his powers to stop the transformation before Acornus could even react.

Bill levitated Acornus high up into the air and then threw him down to the ground. A deafening crack and shriek was heard his he hit the cobblestone street.

Bill floated over to him, cherishing all the pain Acornus was in. He was screaming in agony and clutching at his now broken back. Bill scoffed at that. _Stop whining,_ he thought. _It could have been worse._ He went back into his somber demeanor began and glare at the man. Two blue flames reappeared in his hands.

"Last chance," Bill growled, beginning to get irritated. He thought Acornus would have told him by now. He didn't think he was afraid of the shadows that much. However, every second Acornus refused to tell him, Bill could feel his anger rising more and more. It was a miracle Bill was still in his calm state of mind.

Acornus, still holding onto his back, finally stopped screaming and looked up at Bill. It was clear that Acornus did not expect Bill to be threatening his life tonight.

 _Well,_ Bill thought bitterly, _maybe you should have thought about what happens when you break a deal with me. …And this item is actual important._ The last part was an afterthought, but it was true. What Bill needed _was_ important. If he could get all the shadow shards, he could finish his part of the deal and get his favor from Mabel. Then he could finally defeat the annoying brat that helped ruined what he had worked on for millions of years and the rest of her family.

"Where." Bill growled, "Is. The. Shadow. Shard?"

Acornus shook out of fear. He never expected Bill to physically threaten his life. Something was different this time, but he didn't know what. Nonetheless, anything Bill had in store was better than the torture the shadows would give him. "B-Bill," he gasped, "I... I w-w-won't tell you."

Bill's eye narrowed even more and he let out a creepy laugh. "So, you broke a deal with me. You should know that no one who breaks a deal with me comes out unscarred." His laugh quickly turned into a growl. "You are a great ally to have, and if it was anything or any time else, the worst I would have done was take off most of your body parts. However, one demon already broke a deal with me, and this item is the only thing that can help me get revenge. Let's just say, I'm not feeling very forgiving today. So, I guess this is the last time we will ever meet." The blue flames in Bill's hands grew ten times bigger. Acornus' eyes widened.

"Goodbye, Acornus."

What happened next was complete insanity.

A red and brown blur came out of the shadows, tackling Bill to the ground. Bill shouted in surprise and glared at the attacker.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he screamed at Mabel.

"Trying to save someone's life you butt head!" Mabel screamed back. She tried to punch Bill in the eye, but he caught her hand before she could. He levitated her off him and threw her into a corner.

She grunted at the impact, but it seemed that she would only get a few bruises. Mabel quickly picked herself up and ran at the dream demon again.

Bill was up off the ground and shaking off the attack. He instantly forgot about Mabel though when he saw Acornus getting up and trying to run away. "Oh, no you don't!" he screamed. He snapped his fingers and Acornus was stuck in place. He grunted, trying to move his legs, but to no avail.

Bill was preparing to throw another fire ball at him when Mabel, once again, tackled Bill to the ground.

"Bill!" she screamed. "How will killing him help us find the shadow shard?!"

"Oh, it won't!" Bill shouted back. "But no one breaks a deal with me! I've had enough crap to deal with all week so at this point, I don't really care who dies to get what I want!" Bill was struggling to get up. Mabel was heavier than she seemed.

Bill levitated her off him once again and threw her somewhere. However, she was tackling him to the ground again not even a second later. He screamed in annoyance, his triangle shaped body starting to turn darker. He threw Mabel off him yet again but the same thing happened.

Acornus was looking at the whole thing, shocked.

 _Okay,_ Bill thought, _time for Plan B_. When he threw Mabel off him again, he threw her father away than the last two throws. He wasted no time in flying up in the air and searched for where she landed. Right when Mabel stood up, Bill tackled her back down to the ground. She was now pinned under him.

However, that only lasted a second. Mabel easily threw Bill off of her and to the other side of the alley. He started to float before he hit a wall.

"Nice try!" Mabel taunted. "But you said it yourself. You're pure energy. I'm not. Skin and bone beats pure energy any day of the week!"

Bill screamed in annoyance again. His colors grew even darker and his body was a very dark orange now. He could feel his control over his anger slipping, but he was still calm enough to stop himself from going all out. Sure Mabel was being a pain in the butt, but he still had some tricks up his sleeves.

"Well then," he shouted back at her, "let's make this an even fight!" Bill snapped his fingers and blue flames surrounded him once again. When they were gone, he was back in his human form. The only difference was that his clothes were a dark orange and grey, unlike the usual yellow and black.

"What the heck?!" Acornus shouted from the area he was still stuck in. Bill ignored him and flew towards Mabel at top speed.

"Oh no," Mabel muttered. She tried to dodge his attack, but Bill was too fast. She was pinned under him in less than a second. He had his hands on her wrists, pushing them into the ground to make sure she wouldn't try and punch him again.

She tried her best to get away from him, but he was a lot stronger in his human form than he was as a triangle.

Once Bill knew Mabel wasn't able to do anything, he levitated her a few feet in the air and held her there. She tried to move her arms and legs but found, like in the geyser, that they wouldn't budge.

Bill glared at Mabel and floated over to Acornus. Acornus' face was one of pure shock. Bill took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but his clothes were still a dark orange. He knew he had to finish off Acornus quickly. There was a certain Shooting Star he had a feeling he might kill if things got any worse. He still needed her alive so he had to try and stay calm.

"Now," Bill muttered, his voice low. "You know that I technically don't need you. I know you keep a log about every job you go on, including the one you did for the shadows." Acornus' eyes widened. "You telling me would have been easier, and killing you might not help us find the shadow shard as easily," orange flames appeared in Bill's hands, "but there are other ways to get what I want. Plus, you broke a deal with me. And like I said before, no one breaks a deal with me. So," the flames grew, "I think it's time to say goodbye to your life Acornus."

He was about to throw the fire ball when Mabel, once again, interrupted him. This time with words instead of an attack.

"Bill! You can't just go and kill someone because they won't tell you what you want to know!"

Bill growled and whipped around to glare at Mabel. "So you're telling me you _don't_ want the shadow shard and you _want_ to be killed by the shadows?"

"W-well," Mabel swallowed hard, "no. But killing someone won't help us! He clearly isn't going to tell us, even if you're about to kill him, so what's the point?!"

"The point is that he broke a deal!"

"You break deals with people all the time!"

"But no one breaks a deal with me and gets away with it!" Bill screamed. His colors turned even darker and he could feel the last threads of his control being cut. He turned back around and began making the fire ball even bigger.

"Bill, even so, he still doesn't deserve to die!" Mabel screamed, desperate for Bill not to kill this demon. She didn't know Acornus, but she could tell by the way he sounded that he was only breaking a deal because he was afraid of what the shadows might do to him. She could sympathize with that, seeing as she was in a similar situation involving the shadows.

"Shooting Star..." Bill growled, the flame in his hands still growing greater in size. He could feel his eye twitching.

"Look, I get that you don't like it when people break deals with you-"

"Shooting Star." Bill interrupted, this time a bit louder. Although he wanted her dead more than anybody, he didn't want to see her dead yet. However, stopping him from killing Acornus wasn't exactly helping Bill keep his anger under control.

"But he doesn't deserve to die because of it! He's a living, breathing person!" She shook her head. "Or demon in this case!"

"Shooting Star... shut your stupid mouth." He mumbled the last part under his breath. Bill could practical hear the threads breaking.

"You don't just kill someone because they broke some dumb deal you probably forced them to make!"

"Shooting Star!" he shouted, the orange flame both growing and getting darker by the second.

"So stop being an idiot, butt head of a dorito, get your stupid face out of this realm, and stop all of this dumb nonsense!"

The last thread snapped.

"Shut your face you stupid, meaningless brat!" Bill's appearance finally changed to red and white. He let the fireball disappear and turned towards Mabel.

Her face was frozen in fear.

Still levitating her, he lifted her a little higher, then threw her into a nearby was. She let out a shriek of pain as her head hit the stone.

Mabel was finally able to move her arms and legs and her hands quickly darted to the back of her head. She could feel blood trickling out and into her hair. Nothing seemed broken, but it hurt like crazy.

What happened next surprised her more than anything.

Seconds afterwards, she felt her airway being crushed. Her hands left the back of her head and flew to her throat. She began clawing at her neck, trying to figure out what was happening.

When she looked up, she had her answer.

Although her eyes were watering, she could see Bill clear as day. One of his hands was creating another fireball, while the other was in her direction and was twisting. She quickly connected the dots.

B-Bill..." she choked out, trying desperately to get precious air into her lungs.

Bill ignored her and turned towards Acornus. "Now," Bill growled, "that that pest is out of the way..." Bill created a blood red fire ball in his hand and gave Acornus a sadistic smile. "...I believe it is time for you to die."

Mabel let out a strangled cry as she watched Bill kill Acornus. The shape shifter let out an ear splitting cry as he was engulfed in the flames. His clothes instantly disintegrated and his skin became bubbly and charged. Some of it melted off him and his bones turned to dust.

Mabel couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene. She would later wonder how no one woke up and saw this, but there was only one thought in her mind at the moment.

That she was absolutely horrified.

And not only horrified at the burning, horrific death of Acornus, but at the dream demon that caused it. He was floating in the air, laughing like a maniac. The sadistic grin was still in his face, and as the bloody fire illuminated his features, Mabel swore she was looking at the Devil himself.

The fire disappeared not even a minute later.

And that's when Mabel remembered that she still couldn't breathe. She began to claw at her neck again, trying desperately to get rid of the invisible hands that were chocking her. " _B-B-B-B-Bill_..." she managed to choke out.

The dream demon didn't hear her the first time. Or the second. Or the third. He was staring in awe at the charred corpse and ashes that lied before him. Somebody would probably find the body in the morning and be horrified.

But he was content as could be at the sight of it. _He got what was coming for him,_ Bill though bitterly.

Only when Mabel choked out his name one final time did Bill finally hear her.

He whipped around at the sound and saw Mabel clawing at her neck, her eyes bulging and her face blue. She looked just about ready to pass out.

At the sight of her, his colors slowly turned back to normal. He also felt something... different inside his... heart?

It wasn't the usual jumping he felt when he said or thought about the person or words Shooting Star, but it was something else. It felt like a twinge of... something. Something he couldn't quiet put his finger on. _Drug must be wearing off?_ he wondered. He only pondered on the situation a second longer however, when he realized that Mabel was starting to pass out.

He quickly ceased twisting his hand in her direction and stopped levitating her. She fell into the ground and began taking in the air in giant gulps. There were tears coming out of her eyes and she could barely pull herself up into a sitting position.

Bill grunted and floated over to her. When she looked up, her eyes widened and she threw herself back into the wall, as far away from him as possible. She looked just as scared as the time he attacked her with her worst nightmares in Stanley's Mindscape.

Bill once again felt that twinge of something in his heart when he looked at her. He growled in frustration and clenched his hands. He took a deep breath to calm himself and then once again floated over to Mabel.

He waited until her breathing turned back to normal to try and talk to her. However, before he could get a word out, he finally noticed that she had been looking at something for the past two minutes. He turned around and saw that she was staring, horrified, at the charred remains of Acornus. Bill silently turned back and levitated Mabel back into the air. Mabel never took her eyes off the body.

"Let's go," he muttered. With a snap of his fingers. Bill transported them both back to his Mindscape.

* * *

"What were you thinking?!" Bill exploded once they were safe in his study. Mabel was surprised for a second at his bluntness, but quickly shook her head and glared at the dream demon.

"What was I thinking?! What were you thinking?! You just went up and killed someone!"

"Because he broke a deal with me! I thought we already went over this! If someone ever breaks a deal with me, they pay the price!"

"Even so, you shouldn't kill them!"

"This is the second demon who broke a deal with me in a week. Let's just say that I wasn't in a very forgiving mood!"

"So you think killing someone is the best punishment?!"

"Yes!"

"Well you have a stupid way of thinking!" Bill screamed in irritation and threw a blue fire ball into a nearby wall. _At least it isn't red,_ Mabel thought bitterly. Her mind flashed back to the blood red flames that killed Acornus and she shivered.

Bill breathed heavily for a moment then started towards the door. Mabel burned holes into his back. "And where are you going?!"

The dream demon whipped around and glared at the teen. "I'm going to cool down." At the look Mabel gave him, Bill glared even harder. "I'm not going off to torture someone for your information. I'm still going to be here." He turned and floated towards the door again. "I sped up time here in the Mindscape so I don't have to wait for you to go to sleep again in the real world. I suggest you go back to your room and rest for a few hours." He growled. "And don't look for me for any reason. If I see even a hair of you, what I did to Acornus will look like cake." Bill floated out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

As Bill flew down the hallway, his mind was in a mental war. Part of him was still in a fragile state and would snap at any moment. A different part was trying desperately to stop himself from going out of control and killing Mabel. _I still need Shooting Star if I want my favor,_ he thought. He growled once again when his heart jumped. _When is this stupid drug going to wear off?!_.

He felt some of his threads snapping again and he took a deep, calming breath. "Relax," he said to himself. "It's just a drug. It will wear off soon. ...Hopefully..." He grumbled the last part under his breath.

He turned left and a wooden door came into his view. Just seeing the door instantly calmed his mind. _Now,_ he thought happily, _I can finally relax._

* * *

Mabel walked into her "room" and sighed. She debated whether or not to knit a new sweater or to go to sleep. One look at her bed and sleep claimed victory.

She was about to slip into bed when she remembered the blood on the back of here head. She touched the bloody spot and winced. There was going to be a mark there for a while.

She sighed and turned towards a door that was where Dipper's bed would have been. She walked into a black, white, and grey bathroom and grabbed one of the hand towels. She dampened it with water and slowly and carefully wiped the blood from her head. She quietly sang "Taking Over Midnight" under her breath, smiling a bit as the lyrics reminded her of the night Dipper, Grunkle Stan and her all came together as a family to stop those zombies. _Those were good time_ _s,_ Mabel thought happily.

Once she was sure all the blood was gone, she placed the towel back in the sink and walked back into her room. The bump at the back of her head could wait till later. Right now, sleep was beckoning her.

Without changing out of her red sweater and blue shorts, she kicked off her sneakers and climbed into the dull grey bed. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

* * *

Mabel was woken up not even an hour later.

The teen groaned and sat up. She didn't bother to rub the sleepiness from her eyes.

Once she gathered her bearings, she looked around curiously. _What woke me up?_ she thought. She was usually a very heavy sleeper, so waking up in the middle of the night was something new.

She sighed and was about to go back to sleep when she heard what woke her up.

Music.

But it didn't sound like something she had ever heard before. It sounded different, almost chaotic. She would have thought the music would have sounded bad like this, but it actually sounded beautiful.

Her forehead scrunched up in confusion. _Why on earth is there music?_ she wondered. _Did we somehow bring something back from the Reverse Realm, or does that black hole I found a couple weeks ago actually play music?_

Mabel slowly sat up and got out of her bed. She closed her eyes and listened harder. _It sounds... like a piano, I think._ She deduced that it was coming from a different place in the Mindscape and tiptoed to her door.

She was about to open it when she paused. _What if Bill is sitting outside, waiting for me to come out so he can kill me? He did say he would if he saw me..._ Mabel shook her head. _Come on Mabel, don't be ridiculous. Like he's said a thousand times, I'm no use to him dead._ However, she wasn't quite sure anymore. He nearly killed her today, albeit by accident. But still...

She swallowed the lump in her throat and backed away from the wooden door. _I'll find out where the music is coming from another day, another time._ She sighed and walked back to her bed. She flopped into it and pulled the covers up over her.

Then she closed her eyes, letting the chaotic, beautiful piano music lull her to sleep.

* * *

 **And that's the chapter! Yeah, Bill has been getting mad a lot lately, but I think this is going to be the last time for a little bit.**

 **Again, I'm SO sorry this took so long to get out. I'll try to get the next chapter out as fast as possible, but don't expect one for, at the very least, two weeks. I know said that last time, but last time I was still in school and had a lot of end of the year tests. I am kind of the busy the next week or so, but it's Summer, so I have a lot more free time to write than I would if I was at school.**

 **Also, one more quick note, as you probably know by now, the next realm will be the Ever Changing Realm. Now, I could come up with all of the Ever Changing Realm's places myself, but so many of you have left your ideas for realms in the review section, I'm going to be using those instead! However, there are going to be a LOT of places and there are probably going to be two chapters concerning this realm, so I do still need some ideas! If you have ideas for realms or places Mabel and Bill could visit in the Ever Changing Realm, please tell me in a review. I need a lot of places, so ideas are welcome immensely!**

 **Anyways, thank you all so much for reading this chapter and I hoped you enjoyed it! Please R &R, follow and favorite! If you have something you think I should improve on, tell me in a review!**

 **I'll see you all again in the next chapter! Until then...**

 **Peace! GamerFan369**


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